How  to  Visit  Europe 
on  Next  to  Nothing 


With   Memoranda    of  Actual 
Expenses,  Coinage  Tables,  etc. 


BY 
E.  P.  PRENTYS 


NEW   YORK 

DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY 

1912 


COPYRIGHT,  1908,  BY 
THE  VOGUE  COMPANY 

COPYRIGHT,  1912,  BY 
E.  P.  PRENTYS 

Published,     May,    1912 


PREFACE 

Most  people  want  to  go  to  Europe,  I 
amongst  the  number.  But  almost  everybody 
seems  to  think  that  a  European  tour  is  neces- 
sarily expensive.  Of  course  it  may  be  so; 
but  I  have  faith  that  with  common  sense, 
some  knowledge,  and  a  minimum  supply  of 
dollars,  a  splendid  vacation  of  eight  weeks 
in  length,  or  more,  may  be  enjoyed  upon  the 
other  side  at  a  very  small  cost  indeed. 

I  am  now  going  to  prove  this  to  unbeliev- 
ing friends  and  intend  to  set  out  with  three 
hundred  dollars  in  my  pocket  and  a  stern 
resolution  not  to  exceed  this  amount  by  one 
cent.  I  have  talked  my  scheme  over  with 
Comrade,  who,  dazzled  by  my  mention  of 
continental  resorts,  Paris,  London  and  a 
score  or  more  other  places  has  agreed  to 
accompany  me.  This  will  lessen  the  cost, 
in  a  way,  as  we  shall  share  rooms,  carriages, 

247364 


vi  PREFACE 

etc.,  but  for  the  sake  of  others,  who  will 
assuredly  follow  where  I  lead,  I  shall  put 
down  the  expenses  as  one  person,  doing  the 
same  things  alone,  would  find  them. 

In  order  to  refute  the  insinuations  of  scof- 
fers I  am  going  to  keep  strict  accounts,  enter- 
ing in  this,  my  diary,  every  dollar  I  spend, 
as  well  as  all  my  joys,  together  with  such  in- 
formation as  will  enable  other  adventurous 
souls  to  follow  in  my  footsteps. 

My  intentions  are  to  travel  comfortably, 
but  not  luxuriously,  to  avoid  the  hostelries 
and  vehicles  patronised  by  millionaires. 
I  cannot  compete  with  them  in  the  tips 
they  shower  (if  I  would  have  money 
left  for  my  own  enjoyment)  and  so  see 
instead  of  liveried  servants,  the  real  life  of 
the  people  and  everything  of  true  interest  in 
the  countries  I  visit. 

The  greater  number  of  the  sketches  in  this 
little  book  appeared  serially  in  Vogue,  and 
it  is  with  the  consent  of  the  Vogue  Publish- 
ing Company,  that  these  are  now  reissued 
in  book  form. 


COINAGE  TABLES 


English  American 

i  halfpenny  (or  2  farthings)  =i  cent  (or  "penny.") 
i  penny  2  cents. 

I    shilling    (or    12    pence) =  I  quarter  (lit.  the  shill- 
ing is  worth  24  cents.) 
i  florin  =  5.0  cents. 

Half  a  crown  60    (and   2)    cents, 

i  pound  (or  sovereign)  5  dollars  (less  20  cents.) 

SCALE : 
English: — 4  farthings=i   penny.     12  pence=i   shilling. 

20  shillings=i  pound. 
American: — 100  cents=i  dollar. 

English  French 

i  halfpenny  (or  2  farthings)  =i   sou    (or  5  centimes), 
i  penny  =10  centimes, 

i  shilling  =i  franc  20  (or  120  cen- 

times). 

I  florin  =2  francs  40  centimes. 

Half  a  crown  =3   francs. 

I  pound    (or  20   shillings)   =25   francs. 

SCALE : 
English: — 4  farthings=i  penny.    12  pence=i  shilling. 

20  shillings=i  pound. 

French : — 100  centimes  (or  20  sous=i  franc.    100  francs 
=i  louis. 

vii 


viii  COINAGE  TABLES 

English  Norwegian 

i  halfpenny  (or  2  farthings)   =324  0re. 

I  penny  =?y2  tfre. 

1  shilling  (or  12  pence)  =90  0re. 

2  shillings  (i  florin)  =i  Krone  80  0re. 
Half  a  crown  =2  Krone  25  0re. 
i  pound   (20  shillings)  =18  Krone. 

20  pounds  =360  Krone. 

SCALE : 
English:— 4  farthings=i  penny.     12  pence=i   shilling. 

20  shilling=i  pound. 
Norwegian: — 100  0re=i  Krone. 

American.  English. 

I  cent i  halfpenny   (or  2  farthings). 

25  cents i  shilling  (and  a  Y*  penny) . 

{A  florin  (and  a  penny) 
2  shillings  (and  a  penny). 

I    dollar 4  shillings  (and  2  pence). 

5   dollars I  pound  (and  10  pence) . 

100  dollars 20  pounds  (and  16/8). 

500  dollars i  hundred  pounds  (and  £34) . 

SCALE  : 

American: — 100  cents=i  dollar. 

English:— 4  farthings=i   penny.     12  pence=i   shilling. 
20  shilling=i  pound. 

American.  French 

i  cent i  sou  (or  5  centimes) . 

25  cents I  franc  25  centimes. 

50  cents 2  francs  50  centimes. 

I   dollar 5  francs. 

5    dollars 25  francs  (or  i  louis  and  5 

francs) 


COINAGE  TABLES  ix 

ioo  dollars 500  (and  4)  francs. 

500  dollars 2500  (and  20  francs)  or 

500  (and  i)  louis. 

SCALE  : 

American: — ioo  cents=i  dollar. 
French: — ioo  centimes=i  franc       20  francs=i  louis. 

American  Norwegian 

i  cent $y*    tfre 

25  cents 90  0re 

50  cents i  krone  80  0res 

I   dollar 3  krone  60  0re 

5    dollars 18  krone 

ioo  dollars 360  krone. 

500  dollars 1800  krone. 

SCALE : 

American: — ioo  cents  to  the  dollar. 
Norwegian : — ioo  0re  to  the  krone. 

ERRATA 

p.  vii.     i  pound  (or  20  shillings)=24  francs. 
p.  viii.    500  dollars 104  pounds  33.  4d. 

These  coinage  tables  are  not  worked  out  to  exact 
decimals,  but  give  approximate  values. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  INTENTIONS  AS  TO  COST,  MODE  OF  TRAVEL- 
LING, BAGGAGE,  INSURANCE,  ROUTE, 
RIGHT  TIPS,  DETAILS  WHICH  MAKE 
FOR  PERSONAL  COMFORT  ON  THE  WAY, 
ETC.  MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES  .  i 
II.  FIRST  DAY  ON  THE  CONTINENT,  ARRIVAL  IN 
LONDON,  HOTELS  AND  NECESSARY  AR- 
RANGEMENTS TO  MAKE  IN  REGARD  TO 
LANDING  —  MEMORANDUM  OF  EX- 
PENSES   ii 

III.  SECURING  LONDON  LODGINGS,  ADVANTAGES 

OF  CERTAIN  DISTRICTS,  GENERAL  VIEW 

OF    THE    ClTY,    WITH    A    HlNT    OF    THE 

ROMANCE  OF  IT  —  WHERE  TO  DINE, 
ENGLISH  METHOD  OF  COLLECTING  BAG- 
GAGE, AND  TRANSFERENCE  OF  ALL  BE- 
LONGINGS TO  TEMPORARY  ABODE  .  .  24 

IV.  BEGINNING  OF  SIGHTSEEING  —  THE  RIVER, 

TOWER,  MONUMENT,  ACADEMY,  PIC- 
TURE GALLERIES — METHOD  OF  OBTAIN- 
ING ADMISSION  TO  THOSE  NOT  GENER- 
ALLY OPEN,  MUSEUMS — ALSO  A  BRIEF 
MENTION  OF  HISTORIC  PLACES  THAT 

MUST  NOT  BE  OMITTED 34 

V.  ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  LETTERS,  WHITEHALL, 
METHODS  OF  TRANSPORTATION,  ST. 
PAUL'S,  WESTMINSTER  ABBEY,  AND 
CATHEDRAL,  PARKS,  PALACES,  NOTE- 
WORTHY BUILDINGS  AND  HOUSES,  A 
GENERAL  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  RESTAU- 
RANTS, TEA  SHOPS  AND  LITTLE-KNOWN 
FRENCH  CAFES,  ETC.,  WHICH  THOSE 
WISHING  TO  MAKE  A  MODERATE 
AMOUNT  OF  MONEY  Go  A  LONG  WAY, 
CAN  PATRONISE  TO  ADVANTAGE — MEM- 
ORANDUM OF  EXPENSES 44 

xi 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

VI.  THE  ENVIRONS  OF  LONDON,  HAMPTON 
COURT,  KEW,  RICHMOND,  EPPING  FOR- 
EST, GREENWICH  AND  AN  EXCURSION 
TO  WINDSOR  AND  ETON,  WITH  COSTS 
AND  WAYS  OF  GOING — MEMORANDUM 

OF  EXPENSES 55 

VII.  STRATFORD-ON-AVON  AND  How  TO  GET 
THERE— THE  DUAL  DEITIES—HINTS 
ON  SEEING  KENILWORTH,  WOODSTOCK 

OF  BLENHEIM 67 

VIII.  THE  GLORY  OF  OXFORD  ;  ITS  COLLEGES  AND 
CHURCHES,  SPACIOUS  QUADRANGLES 
AND  WINDING  BACK  WATERS — STU- 
DENT LODGINGS  AND  How  WE  FOUND 
THEM — HISTORY  INCARNATE — MEMO- 
RANDUM OF  EXPENSES 74 

IX.  ENGLISH  WATERING  PLACES — THE  CHARMS 
OF  BRIGHTON  RIVAL  CHARMS  OF  HOVE, 
ROTTINGDEAN,  WORTHING  AND  NEW- 
HAVEN—CYCLING  EXCURSIONS  IN  LON- 
DON-BY-THE-SEA— THE  PAVILION  AND 
MEMORIES  OF  GEORGE  THE  FOURTH — 
MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES  ...  80 
X.  BELGIUM  AND  How  TO  GET  THERE — OS- 
TEND,  ITS  FASCINATION  AND  THE 
SHARP  CONTRAST  OF  BRUGES  AND 
GHENT— NAMUR,  DINANT,  THE  WOODS 
AND  RlVERS  OF  THE  ARDENNES — THE 
FAMOUS  SUBTERRANEAN  RIVER  AND 
GROTTO  DE  HAN  — AN  UNEXPECTED 
VENTURE  INTO  THE  BOWELS  OF  THE 
EARTH— MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES  .  91 

XI.  BRUSSELS — THE  FIELD  OF  WATERLOO  WITH 
ITS  MONUMENT  AND  HISTORIC  FARMS 
AND  CHATEAUX  —  ANTWERP,  A  HINT 
OF  ITS  GLORIES  AND  A  WARNING  TO 
OTHERS  TO  STAY  LONGER  THAN  WE 
DID,  WITH  METHODS  OF  LODGING  ONE'S 
SELF  COMFORTABLY  (WITHOUT  UNDUE 
EXPENSE)  IN  A  FOREIGN  CITY — MEM- 
ORANDUM OF  EXPENSES 104 

XII.  DARING  PROJECTS — FURTHER  AFIELD — EN 
ROUTE  FOR  THE  RIVIERA  —  LEAST  Ex- 


CONTENTS  xiii 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

PENSIVE        AND        MOST        CONVENIENT 

ROUTES — NEED  OF  POLICE  NOTIFICATION 
— A  STOP-OVER  AT  ROUEN,  THE  CITY  OF 
CHURCHES — THE  IRONY  OF  THE  RE- 
HABILITATION OF  THE  "  MAID  OF  OR- 
LEANS," AND  THE  HUMAN  TRAGEDY  OF 
HER  LIFE  —  MEMORANDUM  OF  EX- 
PENSES   115 

XIII.  IN     FRANCE  —  " CONSEILS     PRATIQUE"  — 

HOTELS  AND  THEIR  INQUISITORIAL  PA- 
PERS—  LATIN  QUARTER  HINTS,  STU- 
DENTS, HOSTELRIES,  CLUBS  AND  RES- 
TAURANTS— FRENCH  TIPPING  RULE — 
"Tip  OFTEN  BUT  TIP  LITTLE"  — 
RULES  REGARDING  OMNIBUSES  .  .  126 

XIV.  THE  JOYS  OF  PARIS  ;  WHAT  TO  SEE  ;  NAPO- 

LEON'S TOMB,  THE  LOUVRE,  LUXEM- 
BOURG, NOTRE  DAME,  STE.  CHAPELLE, 
THE  CONCIERGERIE — PRISON  OF  TRAGIC 
MEMORIES  —  THE  MARKETS  AND 
BOULEVARDS — VERSAILLES  AND  WHEN 
TO  Go  THERE,  ST.  CLOUD,  AND  THE 
ABSOLUTE  NECESSITY  OF  SEEING  IT; 
RIVER  EXCURSION  THERETO,  WITH  TEA 
IN  THE  CHALET  AT  THE  END  OF  IT — 
MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES  .  .  .  136 

XV.  MONTE  CARLO  —  PENSIONS,  HOTELS  AND 
RESTAURANTS,  ROOMS,  PRICES  AND 
LOCALITIES — THE  CASINO  AND  How 
TO  OBTAIN  ENTRANCE  THERETO  — 
"THE  MAN  WHO  BROKE  THE  BANK 
AT  MONTE  CARLO" — OUR  DETERMINA- 
TION TO  RIVAL  HIM  AND  THE  RESULT — 
CONCERTS,  OPERAS,  VARIOUS  ENTER- 
TAINMENTS—  LEGENDS  AND  SUPERSTI- 
TIONS OF  THE  PLACE 145 

XVI.  ON  THE  COTE  D'AZUR— MENTONE,  NICE, 
AND  THE  CARNIVALS— FISHING  VIL- 
LAGES, MOUNTAIN  WALKING  TOURS, 
AND  AN  EXCURSION  OVER  THE  BOR- 
DER INTO  ITALY — A  CASTING  OF  AC- 
COUNTS— RETURN  TO  LONDON — TOTAL 
MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES  .  .  .  156 


XIV  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVII.  AN  UNEXPECTED  WINDFALL  —  WILD  DE- 
SIRES, MUCH  DISCUSSION  OF  MANY 
POSSIBILITIES  AND  A  SUPPLEMENTARY 
CRUISE  —  HINTS  AS  TO  CLOTHES 
REQUISITE  FOR  A  COMFORTABLE  JOUR- 
NEY TO  THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIDNIGHT 
SUN — ARRIVAL  AT  NORWAY  .  .  .  168 
XVIII.  FIRST  GLIMPSES  OF  NORWEGIAN  WONDERS — 
THE  BUKEN  FJORD— THE  BONDHUS 
GLACIER  —  CLIFFS,  MOUNTAINS  AND 
LAKES  —  OUR  ANCHORAGE  AT  SUN- 
DAL — A  NORWEGIAN  FLOWER  DECKED 
GLEN — THE  FOGLEFOND — ONE  OF  THE 
FINEST  SNOW  FIELDS  IN  EUROPE — 
MERRY  GATHERINGS  ABOUT  THE  GYPSY 
FIRE  —  WALKS  AND  SCRAMBLES  .  .  174 
XIX.  DOWN  THE  FJORDS — VIK — THE  HARDAN- 
GER  —  NORWEGIAN  RAVINES  —  AN  IN- 
TRODUCTION TO  STOLLJAERRES — A  ROAD 
BLASTED  FROM  THE  LIVING  ROCK — 

SOMBRENESS  OF  THE  SCENERY  —  OP- 
PRESSIVE SENSE  OF  TRAGEDY  — THE 
MARVEL  OF  THE  VORINGFOS  WATER- 
FALL, WITH  ITS  STUPENDOUS  LEAP  .  181 
XX.  A  NORWEGIAN  TOWN  —  BERGEN,  ONE  OF 
THE  SURPRISES  OF  NORWAY — ATTRAC- 
TION OF  THE  SHOPS — WHAT  TO  BUY — 
EMBROIDERY  FILIGREE  SILVER,  CARV- 
INGS, FURS,  ETC. — WHAT  TO  SEE — 
THE  OPEN-AIR  FISH  MARKET,  TOWER 
AND  CHURCH  —  THEN  A  THOUSAND 
FEET  CLIMB  FOR  A  VIEW  INLAND  AND 
OUTWARD  TO  THE  NORTH  SEA— THE 
INNER  LEAD  — A  SAIL  BEYOND  DE- 
SCRIPTION   188 

XXI.  SCENES  ON  THE  WAY  — NATIONAL  COS- 
TUMES OF  THE  GIRLS— A  DRIVE  ALONG 
THE  MARGIN  OF  THE  SANDVEN  LAKE — 
THE  TWIN  WATERFALLS  OF  THE  LOTE- 
FOS  AND  SKAARSFOS  —  AALSUND 
DUTCH-LIKE  AND  MODERN — MOLDE — A 
NORWEGIAN  HEALTH  RESORT  .  .  .  194 


CONTENTS  XV 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII.  THE  VILLAGE  OF  NAES— THE  VALLEY  OF 
THE  WITCHES  AND  THE  ROMSDAL- 
HORN — DOWN  THE  WONDERFUL  GEIR- 

ANGER  FjORD 201 

XXIII.  FROM  OIE  TO  HAUGEN— ON  BY  YACHT  TO 
TOSSE  —  THENCE  BY  STOLLJAERRE  — 
OVERLAND  TO  NORHEIMSUND,  THE 
LONGEST  AND  MOST  UNFORGETTABLE 
DRIVE  OF  ALL — A  LAST  VIEW  OF  THE 
WONDERLAND  OF  NORWAY — MEMORAN- 
DUM OF  ACCOUNTS  FOR  ENTIRE  CRUISE  207 


How  to  Visit  Europe 
on  Next  to  Nothing 


CHAPTER  I 

INTENTIONS  AS  TO  COST,  MODE  OF  TRAVELLING,  BAGGAGE, 
INSURANCE,  ROUTE,  RIGHT  TIPS,  DETAILS  WHICH 
MAKE  FOR  PERSONAL  COMFORT  ON  THE  WAY  ETC. — 
MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES. 

EVERYTHING  is  decided,  the  first  steps  have 
been  taken,  the  first  money  expended  and  the 
first  tickets  bought.  Of  course,  the  primary 
consideration  has  been  the  line  and  boat.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  fares  are  slightly 
higher  on  the  Atlantic  between  May  and  Au-. 
gust.  However,  this  is  offset  when  one  gets 
to  the  European  side,  as  summer  vacation 
tours  are  in  full  force.  Of  course,  the 
earlier  a  decision  is  made  the  greater  is  the 
choice  regarding  location  of  cabin,  but  it  is 
always  possible  to  obtain  accommodation  of 
a  kind  even  at  the  last  moment,  sometimes 
the  better  for  the  waiting,  as  frequently 
tickets  are  returned  almost  on  the  eve  of  sail- 
ing. This  is  a  fact,  despite  what  is  said  to 
the  contrary.  The  people  who  find  it  diflE- 


2         How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

cult  to  obtain  a  passage  are  the  millionaires 
who  want  special  suites,  or  the  freaks  who 
insist  upon  having  a  certain  number  of  inches 
between  the  head  of  the  bunk  and  the  state 
room  partition.  There  are  people  who  can- 
not cross  the  Atlantic  for  less  than  three  or 
five  hundred  dollars.  It  is  possible  to  do  it 
comfortably  for  $40  or  $45,  including  tips 
and  incidental  expenses,  though,  of  course, 
not  on  the  largest  or  fastest  ships  afloat. 

I  spent  all  my  spare  time  for  a  week  going 
over  the  "  descriptive  literature  "  issued  by 
the  various  shipping  companies  and  dis- 
covered a  surprising  uniformity  of  price 
among  them,  if  second  class  on  a  first  class 
steamer  is  reckoned  as  equivalent  to  first  class 
on  a  second  rate  (which  usually  means  older) 
boat. 

Of  course  the  locality  of  the  passenger's 
home  must  be  taken  into  account  when  the 
selection  of  a  point  of  departure  is  made, 
but,  other  things  being  equal,  it  is  far  pleas- 
anter  to  go  by  a  "  one  class  ship  "  than  or- 
dinary second,  and,  if  the  maximum  amount 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING         3 

of  pleasure  is  to  be  obtained  for  a  minimum 
expense,  a  first  class  passage  must  cer- 
tainly be  foregone. 

There  is  a  good  choice  of  "  one  class 
boats  "  sailing  from  Montreal  to  Glasgow, 
and  London  by  way  of  Le  Havre,  and  Liver- 
pool, or  direct.  The  Allan,  Dominion  and 
Canadian  Pacific  liners  are  all  worth  con- 
sidering. If  one  wishes  to  travel  in  Scot- 
land, the  cheapest  route  from  Boston  to 
Glasgow  is  by  Allan  or  Anchor  lines.  The 
rate  is  $35  eastward  and  $40  westward  sin- 
gle, or  $71  return.  If  London  is  to  be 
made  the  headquarters,  a  direct  boat  is, 
without  doubt,  the  best,  and  quite  as  inex- 
pensive when  the  railroad  fare  from  Glas- 
gow to  London  is  added,  for  even  third-  \ 
class — a  class  used  in  England  by  everybody  j 
save  dukes,  colonials  and  American  million-/ 
aires — the  fare  is  $6.25. 

After  due  weighing  of  the  pros  and  cons  I  \ 
chose  the  good  ship  "  Parisian  "  of  the  Al-    j 
Ian    Line    of    Royal    Mail    Steamers    and   / 
counted    that    I    had   made    a    clear   sav-/ 


4         How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

ing  of  two  weeks'  board  and  lodging,  for 
she  is  a  twelve  to  fourteen  day  boat  from 
Montreal!  The  fare  each  way  is  $40.  If 
a  return  ticket  be  taken  $75  pays  for  the 
round  trip,  with  the  privilege  of  returning 
by  another  route  over  the  same  line.  This 
line  delivers  passengers  either  at  the  Com- 
mercial Docks,  London,  or  transfers  them 
to  a  train  at  Gravesend  or  Tilbury,  sending 
them  by  train  to  Fenchurch  St.,  which  is  de- 
cidedly more  convenient,  being  in  the  heart 
of  the  city  and  hotel-land,  whereas  most 
companies  end  their  responsibility  at  sea- 
ports, such  as  Southampton  or  Plymouth, 
and  a  further  payment,  of  $1.49  or  $5.75 
respectively,  has  to  be  made  before  London, 
is  reached. 

The  only  disadvantage  of  travelling  from 
Montreal  is  the  prevalence  of  fog  around  the 
banks  of  Newfoundland.  In  compensation  for 
this  there  are  the  beauties  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  the  amazingly  calm  sea.  Comrade  and 
I  enjoyed  every  moment  of  the  way  except 
during  the  foggy  period  when  the  whistle 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING         5 

moaned  its  warnings  at  one  minute  intervals 
for  some  thirty-six  hours,  and  there  was  a 
constant  fear  of  running  down  another  ship 
or  of  a  collision  with  an  iceberg.  Still,  even 
then  there  were  wonderful  pictures  when  the 
fog  lifted  suddenly  for  the  apparent  purpose 
of  displaying  a  fleet  of  red-sailed  fishing 
boats,  or  a  big  sailing  ship,  drifting  silently 
across  our  bows. 

One  stipulation,  and  one  only,  did  I  maKc 
with  Comrade  and  that  was,  that  baggage 
(from  the  date  of  sailing  to  be  called  "  lug- 
gage ")  should  be  limited  to  one  suit  case 
and  one  trunk  apiece.  Excess  baggage  is  a 
bore  and  an  expense.  The  main  secret  of 
happy  travel  is  to  go  with  little  impedimenta, 
which  means,  that  except  for  a  stand-by 
trunk  to  act  as  a  kind  of  reservoir,  you 
should  take  only  what  you  can  carry  in  one 
hand.  Wear  a  hat  that  a  sprinkle  of  rain 
will  not  hurt  and  pack  your  umbrella,  or, 
better  still,  leave  it  behind,  and  let  buoyancy 
of  spirit  carry  you  through  the  few  showers 
you  will  encounter.  But  remember  this,  in 


6         How  TO  YISIT  EUROPE 

your  preparations,  whatever  the  season,  if 
will  be  cold  upon  the  Atlantic.  Wear  your 
thickest  winter  suit,  take  a  steamer  rug,  and, 
if  possible,  a  hot  water  bag. 

As  for  clothes,  the  less  you  decide  you  can 
do  with  the  better,  for  things  on  the  other 
side  are  marvellously  cheap,  and,  as  a  rule, 
somewhat  different  in  fashion.  It  is  a  good 
plan  to  secure  insurance  for  baggage,  for 
then  anxiety  concerning  the  possible  loss  of 
it  is  lessened.  Insurance  can  be  effected 
through  the  German  firm  of  Mannheim's  at 
the  moderate  rate  of  $2  for  a  $200  policy, 
covering  very  fully  the  loss  by  damage  or 
theft.  The  principal  agents  in  America  are 
F.  Herrman,  Manager  of  the  United  States 
Branch  of  the  Mannheim  Insurance  Com- 
pany, New  York  City,  and  Orr  and  Wall, 
Chicago.  If  personal  insurance  is  desired, 
a  tourist's  policy  for  $2500  can  be  obtained 
from  Cook  and  Sons  for  $2.50  or  $5.00, 
covering  a  period  of  one  to  three  months. 

If  possible,  only  luggage  that  can  be  stowed 
in  the  stateroom  should  be  taken,  otherwise 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING         7 

tiresome  delays  will  ensue.  This  must  be 
labelled  "  Wanted  "  in  addition  to  your  ini- 
tials and  the  name  of  the  ship,  and  bonded 
through  to  the  docks  to  save  trouble  with  the 
customs.  It  must  then  be  identified  before 
being  sent  to  the  cabin. 

The  first  step,  after  unpacking  and  arrang- 
ing one's  belongings  conveniently,  is  to  secure 
accommodation  at  the  table  next  to  your 
chosen  travelling  companion,  and  at  the  "  sit- 
ting "  preferred;  if  the  steamer  is  sufficiently 
full  to  necessitate  there  being  more  than  one. 
The  second  is  usually  the  better,  as  sufficient 
time  is  then  left  between  meals  to  gather  an 
appetite  for  the  "  extras."  After  the  break- 
fast hour  has  been  ascertained  hie  thee  to 
the  stewardess  to  arrange  a  suitable  hour  for 
the  bath.  The  deck  steward  should  next  be 
interviewed  concerning  a  chair,  the  price  of 
which  will  range  (according  to  steamer) 
from  fifty  cents  to  a  dollar. 

A  twelve  or  thirteen  day  trip  may  seem 
long,  but  in  reality  it  passes  quickly.  The 
daily  round  of  meals  engrosses  much  time, 


8          How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

as  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  curriculum 
of  breakfast,  lunch  and  dinner,  there  come 
"  beef  tea  and  biscuits  "  at  eleven,  and  after- 
noon tea  at  4.50.  Amusements,  too,  are 
always  organized  by  the  passengers,  con- 
certs, theatrical  performances,  dances,  mas- 
querades, sports,  mock  trials,  etc.,  according 
to  the  "  talent  "  on  board.  Then  new  friend- 
ships must  be  formed,  and  romances,  begun, 
ended,  or  watched.  Again,  all  passing  ships 
attract  much  attention,  as  do  whales,  por- 
poise and  the  changing  colors  of  the  sea, 
while  a  never  ceasing  watchfulness  for  ice- 
bergs is  part  of  the  excitement. 

As  the  end  of  the  voyage  approaches  the 
question  of  "  tips  "  looms  large  upon  the 
horizon.  The  stewardess  and  table  steward 
are  the  most  important,  unless  you  have  been 
a  bad  sailor  and  required  a  lot  of  attention 
from  the  deck  steward.  In  ordinary  cases  a 
dollar  each  to  the  first  two  suffices.  The 
matter  of  the  head  steward  and  the  man 
allotted  to  the  cabins  depends  entirely  upon 
what  these  worthies  have  done.  Women 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING         9 

rarely  tip  the  first,  the  latter  may  never  have 
been  seen  or  may  chance  to  be  the  table  at- 
tendant also.  The  only  other  essential  tip 
is  that  to  bestow  upon  the  man  who  carries 
your  baggage  ashore. 

It  is  well  to  provide  yourself  with  small 
change  before  going  aboard,  for,  at  the  end 
of  the  voyage  it  is  difficult  to  obtain;  even  the 
purser  is  oftentimes  badly  provided.  Small 
English  money,  too,  is  immediately  neces- 
sary upon  arrival,  for,  on  the  other  side,  por- 
ters have  to  be  employed  to  take  the  lug- 
gage from  steamer  to  train.  This  is  merely 
a  matter  of  a  sixpence  (12  cents)  limit. 

Before  land  is  well  sighted  there  comes  a 
cry  of  "  Letters !  "  for  the  pilot  brings 
the  mail  aboard,  as  well  as  news  of  the 
outer  world,  and  when  these  are  read  you 
join  in  the  scurry  of  collecting  luggage,  if 
you  are  going  off  at  the  first  port,  or  at 
least  help  to  swell  the  murmur  of  farewells, 
make  a  hasty  exchange  of  addresses, 
promise  appointments  and  remembrance, 
then  scramble  ashore  to  enter  a  new  world 


io        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

or  stand  bewildered  in  the  turmoil  of  a  busy 
railway  station.  At  last  you  are  upon  Euro- 
pean soil! 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

One  fare  to  Europe — half  a  return $38.00 

Tips,  stewardess  and  table  steward 2.00 

Rent  of  deck  chair 50 

Church  collections,  etc 25 

$40-75 


CHAPTER  II 

FIRST  DAY  ON  THE  CONTINENT,  ARRIVAL  IN  LONDON, 
HOTELS  AND  NECESSARY  ARRANGEMENTS  TO  MAKE  INJ 
REGARD  TO  LANDING — MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES. 

So  OUR  first  day  in  Europe  was  spent  in  Le 
Havre.  We  looked  on  this  as  a  kind  of  an 
"  extra  "  thrown  in  by  the  shipping  company, 
for  neither  Comrade  nor  I  had  put  on  our 
lists  the  name  of  "  Havre-de-Grace,"  as  it 
used  to  be  called  back  in  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury, when,  what  is  to-day,  the  second  port 
in  France  (coming  after  Marseilles  in  order 
of  importance)  was  but  a  tiny  fishing  village 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Seine. 

Perhaps,  because  it  was  an  unlooked  for 
"  foreign  part "  we  enjoyed  Le  Havre  the 
more.  Some  people  scorned  it,  dashed  on 
to  swallow  Rouen  in  a  day,  and  rejoined 
the  ship  exhausted  in  the  evening.  Others 
hastened  to  Paris.  They  knew  nothing  of 
Havre  and  its  quaint  charm,  and  because  of 
ii 


i2        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

their  ignorance  we  forgave  their  scorn. 
They  did  not  know  that  nearly  four  hundred 
years  before  the  narrow  streets  had  rung  to 
the  cries  of  warring  factions. 

That  once,  the  famous  Prince  de  Conde, 
leader  of  Huguenots,  had  delivered  the  town 
to  Queen  Elizabeth,  for  whom  it  was  held 
through  a  stubborn  year  of  fighting  by  the 
Earl  of  Warwick,  though  Catherine  de 
Medici  and  her  son  led  the  besiegers  in  per- 
son. Nor  did  they  realise  that  some  years 
later  Le  Havre  had  become  one  of  France's 
most  important  fortresses.  They  had  been 
playing  cards  in  the  saloon  and  had  not  even 
seen  the  entrance  to  the  intricate  docks  which 
are  among  the  finest  in  the  world,  offering 
over  150  acres  of  safe  accommodation  for 
vessels  from  every  part  of  the  globe. 

The  passage,  from  the  time  the  ship  hangs 
outside,  waiting  on  tide  and  a  tug  boat,  in 
company  with  a  score  or  so  more  liners,  until 
the  gangway  is  at  last  put  down  and  one  may 
walk  ashore,  is  engrossing.  The  manoeuvr- 
ing of  the  big  vessels  through  a  waterway  as 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        13 

congested  as  Broadway  or  State  Street,  the 
marvellous  manner  in  which  they  are  steered 
through  the  throng  of  giant  warships,  sombre 
torpedo  destroyers  and  tiny  tugs  and  ferry- 
boats, makes  one  gasp,  while  behind,  under 
lea  of  the  breakwater,  the  red-sailed  fishing 
boats  against  a  background  of  dancing  water 
and  white-fronted,  green-shuttered,  French 
houses,  offer  a  capital  field  for  the  kodak 
fiend. 

It  is  a  moot  point  whether  it  is  best  to  en- 
ter Le  Havre  when  the  sun  is  tinting  water, 
town  and  low-lying  hills  alike,  or  when  night- 
fall gives  the  place  a  tinge  of  mystery, 
when  the  outlines  of  great  shipsloomvaguely 
through  the  darkness,  and  the  intricacies  of 
docks  and  "  bassins  "  can  only  be  guessed 
at — When  the  town  lights  hang  like  a  pend- 
ant from  a  hillside  necklace  and  the  wharves 
are  lined  with  figures,  freed  from  toil,  who 
come  to  sing  a  welcome  to  ships  arriving 
from  foreign  lands,  and  to  greet  returning 
friends. 

Once  landed  in  Le  Havre  there  is  a  gen- 


i4       How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

eral  rush  of  passengers  to  the  carriages  whicK 
can  be  hired  for  a  merely  nominal  charge, 
about  a  quarter  per  hour.  But  it  is  better 
fun  to  go  exploring  according  to  one's  fancy. 

In  a  carriage  one  must  rely  upon  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Jehu.  On  foot,  in  a  foreign  land, 
all  the  world  is  your  friend,  and  information 
as  to  what  to  see,  the  history  and  identity  of 
buildings,  etc.  is  yours  for  a  glance  and  a 
smile.  The  birthplace  of  more  than  one 
celebrity  may  be  sought  out  in  Le  Havre,  for 
Bernadin  de  St  Pierre,  the  author  of  Paul 
and  Virginia,  and  Mademoiselle  de  Scudery 
were  both  among  the  notables  who  first  saw 
the  light  here. 

Comrade  and  I  turned  to  the  right  down 
the  quay,  in  obedience  to  the  captain's  direc- 
tions, and,  at  the  Cafe  Beliot  (the  name  of 
which  we  noted  as  a  landmark)  found  a 
car,  which,  for  ten  and  fifteen  centimes  re- 
spectively— as  there  happened  to  be  a  seat 
vacant  in  each  of  the  two  classes — took  us 
to  the  post-office  at  the  south  end  of  the  Rue 
de  Paris,  the  main  street  in  the  town.  Noting 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        15 

tHe  color  of  the  car,  that  we  might  find  the 
right  one  again,  we  got  off  and  wandered 
from  side  to  side  of  the  road  (for  the  shop 
windows  form  one  of  the  charms  of  Havre), 
buying  such  trinkets  as  we  liked,  resting  in 
the  coolness  of  that  centuries  old  church 
Notre  Dame  de  Grace,  and  bartering  for 
fruit  in  the  market  place.  At  length  we 
reached  the  Cafe  Tortoni  in  the  Place  Gam- 
betta,  facing  the  tree-shaded  flower  market. 
Here,  disdaining  an  ordinary  lunch  after  our 
surfeit  of  formal  meals  on  the  ship,  we  re- 
galed ourselves  with  quaint,  tall  glasses  of 
"  cafe  au  lait "  and  delicious  "  croissants  au 
beurre  "  as  the  French  call  those  nicest  of 
all  the  "  little  breads  "  with  butter,  for  the 
modest  sum  of  twelve  cents  apiece.  Even 
at  this  restaurant,  table  d'hote  dejeuners  can 
be  had  for  fifty  cents,  while  at  many  a  little 
cafe  down  the  Rue  de  Paris  and  other  streets 
a  quarter  pays  for  a  three  course  meal  with 
cider. 

What  would  we  do  next,  we  debated,  as 
we  noted  the  picturesque  effect  given  by  the 


1 6        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

narrow  streets  and  the  bassins  thatenablebig 
ships  and  tall  masts  to  be  a  feature  of  the 
shopping  district.  The  manner  in  which  they 
crop  out  in  unexpected  quarters  and  odd  cor- 
ners is  a  thing  to  be  preserved  in  a  photo- 
graph. Should  we  saunter  down  to  the  fash- 
ionable "  Frascati  "  for  the  noisy  delights  of 
the  casino?  Should  we  take  the  funicu- 
lar and  be  drawn  up  to  the  suburb  of  St. 
Adresse  where  the  finest  view  of  Le  Havre 
and  its  surroundings  can  be  obtained?  Or 
should  La  Heve,  which  offers  the  attraction 
of  lighthouse  as  well  as  a  view,  secure  our 
attendance  ?  Then,  as  Comrade  reminded  me, 
there  were  still  the  gendarmerie,  the  stock 
exchange,  courts,  picture  gallery,  museum  and 
city  hall  to  be  seen,  if  we  would  "  do  "  Le 
Havre  properly.  I  waved  her  suggestions 
aside.  Should  we  devote  precious  time  to 
such  ordinary  things  when  we  were  within 
half  an  hour's  journey  of  some  of  the  most 
interesting  of  the  smaller  places  in  all  historic 
Normandie?  Fifty  cents  would  take  us  to 
Honfleur,  rich  in  dramatic  memories  of  the 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        17 

French  Revolution  of  1848  inasmuch  as  it 
was  there  that  Louis-Philippe  and  Marie- 
Amelie,  Queen  of  France  contrived  to  rejoin 
after  their  hasty  flight  from  Paris.  It  was 
in  the  Pavilion  de  la  Grace,  still  standing  on 
the  hill  behind  the  white  town,  that  the  two, 
each  forgetful  of  self,  listened  to  the  debat- 
ing of  their  frightened  councillors  as  to  how 
they  might  be  sent  safely  to  British  soil. 
Louis-Philippe  would  not  risk,  for  his  wife, 
a  crossing  on  the  wild  March  night  when 
only  a  daring  fisherman  could  be  persuaded 
to  venture  forth,  and  the  packet-boats  could 
not  run.  And  she,  frantic  with  the  fear  of 
wrhat  might  have  befallen  her  children,  clung 
to  her  husband,  refusing  to  be  parted,  until 
they  persuaded  her  that  by  remaining  at 
Honfleur  she  might  divert  those  in  pursuit 
of  the  king.  Then  he  went  forth  in  an  un- 
certain endeavor  to  find  a  boat,  having 
yielded  to  her  petition  that  if  he  were 
arrested  she  would  be  permitted  to  join 
him.  Royalty  was  forgotten,  they  were 
man  and  woman  in  the  face  of  grave 


ti  8        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

danger,  the  realisation  of  that  other  revo- 
lution was  strong  in  their  minds — and 
the  mob  spirit  of  the  French  people  had 
broken  loose. 

One  is  glad  to  remember  that,  when  foiled 
in  his  attempt,  the  king  returned  from  Trou- 
ville,  they  ultimately  reached  the  haven  of 
an  English  boat  together,  and,  under  plebian 
English  names,  gained  English  shores  in 
safety. 

But  Comrade  shook  her  head.  Had  we 
not  vowed  to  see  Trouville,  that  gayest  of  gay 
French  watering  places  ?  I  remembered  that 
a  fellow  passenger  had  told  us  that  "  Coney 
Island  isn't  in  it  with  Trouville/*  and 
capitulated.  Trouville  it  must  be ;  we  knew 
that  it  was  a  forty  minute  journey  across 
the  water,  that  the  boats  started  from  the 
front  and  that  the  fare  was,  first  class,  thirty- 
four  cents  each  way,  second,  eighteen.  Pray- 
ing for  luck  regarding  the  catching  of  boats 
we  sought  the  jetty  and  a  time  table,  then 
set  off  for  what  seemed  a  brief  hour  on  a 
gorgeous  stage.  Trouville  is  certainly  like 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        19 

a  play  on  a  gigantic  scale  so  far  as  the 
toilettes  of  the  actors  are  concerned.  One 
lives  to  dress  at  Trouville,  and  enormous 
prices  are  spent  on  bathing  costumes.  We 
gasped  as  we  came  suddenly  upon  the  sands 
for  we  felt  that  we  had  stumbled  unwittingly 
upon  a  masquerade  where  swimming  took  the 
place  of  dancing.  It  was  impossible  to  real- 
ize that  such  wondrous  costumes  were  for 
daily  use.  Here  were  girls  like  mermaids 
with  attendant  squires  in  marvellous  scale- 
like  creations  strolling  about  with  the  white 
sands  and  dancing  waters  for  a  background, 
while  for  an  audience  was  a  vast,  fashionable 
assemblage  of  their  friends. 

Trouville  is  a  village  for  millionaires,  a 
place  where  the  "  simple  life  "  is  sought  at 
a  vast  expense.  Everyone  goes  donkey-  rid- 
ing and  bathing  in  the  morning,  to  promenade 
concerts  in  the  afternoon  and  to  dances  in 
the  evenings.  Everywhere  the  supreme  de- 
sire is  to  outshine  all  others  and  to  wear  the 
costume  that  costs  the  most.  The  memory 
of  Trouville  will  be  one  of  colour  and  ex- 


20        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

travagance.  We  turned  from  it  to  seek  out 
Caen  amid  its  green  meadows,  and  in  its 
tranquillity  found  a  sense  of  relief. 

Caen  was  here  to  be  sacked  by  the  English 
nearly  nine  centuries  ago  and  is  rich  in  his- 
toric remembrances.  Charlotte  Corday, 
in  her  girlhood,  walked  the  streets  that  men 
call  prosaic  today.  The  house  of  Beau 
Brummel — the  greatest  dandy  the  world  has 
ever  known,  can  still  be  visited.  And,  for 
the  pieces  de  resistance  are  the  tombs  of  Will- 
iam the  Conqueror  and  Matilda — those  mon- 
uments built  by  way  of  penance  for  marrying 
within  the  proscribed  degree.  Alas,  a  clock 
struck,  and  we  gazed  at  one  another  in 
amazement.  Our  day  in  Normandie  had 
fled. 

We  hastened  back  to  the  ship  to  ex- 
change experiences  with  the  little  group  of 
passengers  who  were  continuing  their  way  to 
England. 

A  night  of  rest — then  the  white  cliffs  of 
Dover — the  eagerness  of  locating  "  the  first 
church  ever  built  on  England's  shores  " — the 
"  first  lighthouse  ever  erected  " — and  Wai- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        21 

mer  Castle,  the  fortress  wherein  is  a  gun  with 
the  quaint  inscription 

"  Load  me  well  and  train  me  true, 
I'll  drop  my  shell  into  Calais  blue." 

And  it  is  believable  for  the  faint  outline 
of  France  can  be  seen  across  the  channel. 
Next  we  passed  the  dangerous  Goodwin 
Sands,  then  seaside  resorts,  known  through 
book  and  paper,  Margate,  Deal  and  a  score 
of  less  known  places,  all  so  close  that  houses 
can  be  distinguished  without  the  aid  of 
glasses.  Then  the  broad  estuary  of  the 
river  Thames,  the  gradually  narrowing 
banks,  and  Greenwich,  from  which  the 
English-speaking  world  measures  its  longi- 
tude. At  last  the  landing,  and  the  sudden 
realisation  that  the  ship  is  no  longer  your 
home;  that  henceforward  you  must  find  for 
yourself  in  an  unknown  country. 

"What  hotel?"  becomes  the  question  of 
the  hour.  The  Cecil  is  known  to  all  men — 
a  great  caravanserie  beloved  of  Americans — 
the  rate  for  a  single  bedroom  is  1.25  per  day, 
breakfast  sixty  to  seventy-five  cents,  luncheon 
another  seventy-five,  with  dinner  at  a  dollar 


22        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

and  a  quarter.     The  Great  Eastern  Hotel, 
more  patronised  by  English  people,  has  much 
the  same  charges  and  is  more  convenient  to 
Fenchurch  Street  being  only  a  two  cent  omni- 
bus ride  distant.     Midway  between  these,  in 
both  distance  and  price,  lies  the  Hotel  Kenil- 
worth  of  Great  Russell  Street  wherein  you 
are  provided  with  a  comfortable  bedroom,  a 
bath  and  breakfast  for  the  inclusive  price  of 
$1.25.     But  it  is  well  to  telephone  around 
from  the  station  and  ascertain  where  accom- 
modation can  be  provided.     When  a  resting 
place  for  the  night  has  been  found,  peace  of 
mind  returns,  and  an  omnibus  ride,  to  get  a 
bird's-eye  view  of  London,  with  dinner  at  any 
restaurant  that  attracts  the  eye,  usually  pro- 
vides sufficient  amusement  for  the  first  night, 
with  the  added  excitement  of  trying  to  catch 
the  English  accent  and  master  the  curious  if 
infinitesimal  differences  in  phraseology. 

England  is  a  land  where  everyone  has  time 
to  answer  questions  and  the  politeness,  even 
of  motor  'bus  drivers  to  each  other,  positively 
makes  the  stranger  giddy. 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        23 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

A  DAY  IN   NORMANDIE. 

Cars,  20  centimes $  .04 

Boats,  one  franc  eighty 36 

Coffee,  rolls  and  butter,  60  centimes 12 

Waiter's   fee,    10  centimes 02 

$0.64 

FIRST  NIGHT  IN  ENGLAND. 

Dinner,  two  shillings $  .50 

Omnibus  fares,  sixpence 12 

Cloak  room  charge  for  trunk,  two  pence 04 

Hotel,   one  night,   five  shillings 1.25 

Breakfast,  half  a  crown 60 

Extras,   two  shillings 50 

$3.01 


CHAPTER  III 

SECURING  LONDON  LODGINGS,  ADVANTAGES  OF  CERTAIN 
DISTRICTS,  GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  CITY  WITH  A  HINT 
OF  THE  ROMANCE  OF  IT — WHERE  TO  DINE,  ENGLISH 
METHOD  OF  COLLECTING  BAGGAGE,  AND  TRANSFERENCE 
OF  ALL  BELONGINGS  TO  TEMPORARY  ABODE. 

IT  is  an  easy  matter  to  find  temporary  lodg- 
ings in  London.  Streets  on  streets  of  houses 
in  various  localities  seem  to  be  set  apart  for 
the  especial  accommodation  of  transients. 

For  the  most  part,  Americans  go  to 
Bloomsbury — that  district  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  British  Museum  which  seems  to 
consist  of  boarding  houses  alone.  It  struck 
me,  and  also  Comrade,  that  there  would  be 
a  want  of  wisdom  in  paying  for  what  we  did 
not  get,  and  we  certainly  should  not  feel  in- 
clined to  return  to  our  lodgings  for  the  sake 
of  a  meal,  supposing  we  were  at  the  other 
end  of  this  great  London,  even  if  time  were 
not  precious. 

Accordingly  we  decided  to  take  rooms  only, 
so  wended  our  way  by  motor  'bus  to  Victoria 
24 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        25 

Station  in  the  south  west  district.  We 
walked  up  Buckingham  Palace  Road  beside 
the  station,  went  over  the  bridge  above  the 
lines  behind  it,  and  struck  diagonally  across 
Eccleston  Square  to  Warwick  St.,  wherein, 
both  to  left  and  right,  every  second  house 
displays  the  sign  of  "  Rooms  to  Let." 

To  be  sure  the  terraces  of  ugly  houses  all 
alike,  and  of  the  same  greyness  of  tone,  have 
a  depressing  effect,  but  this  gloom  is  char- 
acteristic of  all  the  sections  of  London  where 
temporary  quarters  can  be  obtained. 

Comrade  turned  to  the  right  and  I  to  the 
left,  as  we  emerged  from  the  shade  of  the 
trees  in  the  square,  which,  by  the  way,  is 
chiefly  inhabited  by  knights  and  baronets, 
courtsey  lords  and  dowager  ladies.  The 
agreement  was  that  we  should  each  go  to 
three  houses  and  then  meet  to  compare  notes. 
At  my  first  house  they  "  wouldn't  take  ladies," 
and  shut  the  door  in  haste.  Evidently  I  was 
not  prepossessing!  Comrade,  at  her  first 
venture  was  told  that  the  rooms  had  been 
taken  five  minutes  previously,  but  at  the 


26        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

other  four  places  chosen  from  the  group 
between  numbers  81  and  101  we  fared 
better  and  found  exceedingly  clean  comfor- 
tably furnished  rooms,  front  and  back,  for 
the  moderate  weekly  rental  of  twelve  shillings 
and  eight  shillings  and  six  pence  respectively, 
including  lights  and  attendance.  Bathrooms 
seemed  rarities,  the  landladies  asserting 
that  "  they  didn't  pay!  "  This  seems  no  un- 
usual deficiency  in  London  houses  of  the  old 
type,  the  only  way  to  manage  is  to  make  use 
of  the  public  baths,  where  for  the  modest  sum 
of  three  pence  or  sixpence  you  are  provided 
with  an  abundance  of  water,  soap  and  towels. 
Warwick  St.,  indeed  the  south-west  district 
generally,  is  convenient  for  sightseers,  as  it 
is  within  walking  distance  (or  a  penny  omni- 
bus ride)  of  many  of  the  things  one  wants  to 
see.  Buckingham  Palace  is  only  ten  minutes 
distance  afoot,  and,  when  royalties  are  in 
residence,  perpetual  pageants  are  to  be  seen. 
The  Mall  and  Constitution  Hill  outside 
the  Palace,  form  excellent  vantage  grounds. 
Again,  besides  being  within  easy  reach  of  the 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        27 

parks,  St.  James,  Green  and  Hyde,  greatly 
used  by  Londoners,  it  is  comparatively  close 
to  the  river  on  which  ply  boats  though  not  so 
frequently  as  they  ought.  When  going  to 
the  city  this  is  an  exceedingly  pleasant  way  of 
travelling  and  as  one  journeys  under  the 
bridges,  down  beside  the  Embankment,  the 
great  hotels  and  clubs  are  seen.  A  splendid 
view,  too,  is  obtained  of  the  Houses  of  Par- 
liament, on  the  terrace  of  which,  if  it  be  after- 
noon, guests  of  the  members  sit  at  dainty 
tea  tables.  Lower  down,  comes  the  famous 
Temple  and  yet  further  on,  the  turrets  of 
the  Tower  stand  out.  You  can  picture  to 
yourself  the  time  when  the  Thames  was  the 
greatest  thoroughfare  of  the  city,  and  kings 
and  courtiers  wended  their  way  down  it,  in 
gaily  bedecked  barges.  Nobles  were  taken 
by  the  same  route  to  be  landed  at  "  Traitor's 
Gate  "  and  beheaded  on  Tower  Hill! 

We  did  not  neglect  practical  matters  in  our 
excitement,  remembering  to  stipulate  with  our 
landlady  that  there  should  be  "  no  extras  " 
and  arranged  for  breakfast,  which  seems  to 


28        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

cost,  in  London,  sixpence,  eightpence  or  a 
shilling  according  to  your  requirements. 

These  details  being  settled  we  boarded  a 
Vanguard  omnibus  as  it  swept  by  the  door, 
descended  at  Victoria  and  went  by  under- 
ground electric  to  the  city,  for  our  boxes  had 
been  left  in  the  cloak  room  at  Fenchurch  St. 
Station.  The  railway  company  undertook 
to  send  them  to  our  new  abode  in  Warwick 
St.  that  night,  or  early  next  morning,  for  nine- 
pence  apiece.  It  was  our  intention  to  sort 
things  out  a  bit  and  then  send  to  storage 
a  trunkful  of  such  things  as  would  not  be 
needed  until  we  set  out  to  return. 

The  first  little  matter  arranged  we  went  off 
to  lunch  at  the  famous  Cheshire  Cheese,  con- 
tent in  the  remembrance  that  all  our  worldly 
possessions  were  insured. 

We  were  lucky,  in  as  much  as  it  was  a 
Wednesday  and  therefore  "  pudding  day," 
at  the  ancient  restaurant  we  had  selected  to 
provide  us  with  our  first  luncheon.  When 
we  came  to  Wine  court  and  found  it  a  nar- 
row turning  off  Fleet  St.  and  then  discovered 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        29 

the  Cheshire  Cheese  itself  (in  much  the  same 
shape  as  it  had  been  in  the  days  when  Dr. 
Johnson  dined  there),  with  its  sanded  floor 
and  low-ceilinged  room,  our  spirits  soared, 
for  it  was  to  see  old  London,  as  much  as 
modern,  that  we  had  crossed  the  seas.  The 
sight  of  the  book  of  the  autographs,  of  the 
celebrities  who  have  dined  there,  is  alone 
worth  the  two  shillings  charged  for  the  beef- 
steak pudding! 

Like  giants  refreshed  we  went  back  to  the 
hotel  where  we  had  spent  the  night,  collected 
our  bags  from  the  office,  hailed  a  hansom  and 
drove  to  Warwick  St.  It  was  a  decided 
novelty  to  be  whirled  along  in  a  two  wheeled 
box  amid  ponderous  omnibuses,  tooting  mo- 
tors, speeding  cyclists,  four-wheeled  cabs  and 
other  hansoms.  It  seemed  as  if  all  London's 
seven  millions  must  be  in  the  endless  line  of 
vehicles  until  we  looked  on  the  pavements. 
Then  we  wondered  that  there  were  yet  people 
enough  left  to  fill  the  cabs !  And  the  police ! 
At  first  we  looked  at  them  with  startled  eyes. 
Surely  something  terrible  must  have  happened 


30        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

in  the  surrounding  districts.  Why  else  this 
appalling  number  of  men  in  blue?  They 
were  at  every  corner  and  not  singly,  but  in 
groups!  It  was  not  until  we  had  driven  a 
considerable  distance  that  we  realised  that, 
in  London,  you  are  rarely  out  of  sight  of 
the  uniformed  guardians  of  the  peace. 

Suddenly  Comrade  pinched  me.  '  We 
are  in  London,"  said  an  awed  voice.  "  Do 
you  realise  it?  This  is  London!" 

In  truth,  the  responsibility  of  finding  a 
lodging,  and  the  gathering  together  of  our 
scattered  belongings,  had  so  engrossed  me 
that  I  had  not  realised,  to  the  full  extent,  and 
now  awoke  with  a  start. 

We  were  in  London — exploring  a  city 
that  had  been  a  city  many  years  B.  C.  It 
was  modern  London,  the  city  that  draws 
to  it  hundreds  and  thousands  of  sight- 
seers from  all  parts  of  the  world.  The 
London  to  which  the  best  the  world  pro- 
duces, by  brain  as  well  as  muscle,  is  sent 
each  year.  Literary  London,  artistic  Lon- 
don, the  London  of  Romance! — Romans, 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        3* 

Saxons,  Normans  and  Danes  have  given 
their  lives  to  it  in  past  ages,  as  do  the 
moderns  when  the  need  is  sounded  to-day. 
Abov*  all  it  is  the  city  of  our  forefathers, 
the  city  we  know  so  well — by  hearsay! 

On  the  fast  passing  omnibuses  around  us 
we  saw  such  names  as  Aldgate  and  Bishops- 
gate.  They  are  existing  reminders  of  the 
old  London  that,  as  a  walled  city,  was 
besieged  by  land  and  water,  ravaged  by  dis- 
ease and  destroyed  by  fire.  Other  familiar 
names  met  our  eyes.  Paternoster  Row, 
and  Carmelite  St.  Whitefriars  and  Black- 
friars — reminders  that  once  two  thirds  of 
London  had  consisted  of  convents  and  mon- 
asteries, when  Benidictines,  Dominican 
friars,  Franciscans,  Augustines  and  Car- 
thusians jostled  each  other  in  the  streets. 
For  London  grew  year  by  year  despite  efforts 
to  prevent  it.  Even  Elizabeth's  decree,  that 
all  empty  houses  less  than  seven  years  old 
should  be  pulled  down,  and  no  new  ones 
should  be  erected,  had  little  effect.  Hoi- 
born  and  Bloomsbury  through  which  we  had 


32        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

passed'  were  once  country  resorts  to  which 
people  went  for  change  of  air.  This  busy 
Fleet  Street  famous  for  its  associations, 
was  a  suburb  away  back  in  the  fourteenth 
century.  Then,  names  meant  something. 
Moorfields  signified  fields,  and  Covent  Gar- 
den was  a  garden.  The  Strand  was  once  a 
busy  waterway.  Fleet  St.  a  swift  flowing 
river.  To-day  it  can  only  be  realized  when 
the  eyes  are  shut.  Open  them,  and  the 
modern  swamps  the  old;  save  for  a  reminder 
given  by  some  quaint  costume  worn  by  an 
occasional  school-boy,  messenger  or  family 
retainer.  Old  London  is  dead.  Modern 
London  sounds  in  the  ears  and  assails  the 
eyes — the  London  of  the  tourist  the  taxi 
and  the  motor  omnibus!  But  still,  in  odd 
corners  stand  the  old  buildings  around  which 
our  forefathers  fought — the  ancient  churches 
wherein  they  worshipped. 

Other  cities  in  other  lands  have  wider 
streets  and  higher  buildings.  They  may 
lack  some  of  London's  millions  but,  to  the 
ordinary  eye,  the  crowds  elsewhere  seem  as 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        33 

vast — at  least  in  sections.  Such  cities  have 
the  wonder  of  the  present,  the  hint  of  the 
future.  London  has  the  glamour  of  the 
past — so  London  calls  to  us,  children  of  the 
younger  lands. 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

Omnibus  and  Underground  fares $  .12 

Transference  of  trunk 18 

Lunch,  etc 74 

Taxi  cab .62 

$1.66 


CHAPTER  IV 

BEGINNING  OF  SIGHTSEEING — THE  RIVER,  TOWER,  MONU- 
MENT, ACADEMY,  PICTURE  GALLERIES — METHOD  OF  OB- 
TAINING ADMISSION  TO  THOSE  NOT  GENERALLY  OPEN, 
MUSEUMS— ALSO  A  BRIEF  MENTION  OF  HISTORIC 
PLACES  THAT  MUST  NOT  BE  OMITTED. 

OUR  real  sightseeing  has  begun.  It  will  be 
hopeless  to  put  down  in  this,  my  diary,  every 
individual  thing  we  see  and  do,  for  the  Old 
World  is  so  full  of  wonders,  therefore  I 
shall  just  make  notes  to  help  my  memory, 
and  to  aid  those  who  follow  in  my  footsteps, 
to  get  their  full  measure  of  joy. 

For  our  first  objective  we  chose  the  Tower 
of  London,  that  ancient  structure,  fortress, 
palace  and  prison  successively,  that  has  been 
so  bound  up  with  English  history.  For 
equipage  to  carry  us  thereto,  Comrade  and 
I  selected  a  boat  at  Vauxhall  Bridge,  and 
so  went  our  way  down  the  historic  river 
where,  in  bygone  ages,  the  Father  of  King 
Canute  sailed  his  "  great  fleet  of  ninety- 
34 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        35 

four  ships,"  in  an  attempt  to  conquer  Lon- 
don— a  feat  in  which  his  son  succeeded. 

Our  only  regret  was  that  we  could  not  land 
at  "Traitors'  Gate."  It  would  have  been 
such  a  picturesque  way  by  which  to  enter  the 
Tower !  Instead  we  had  to  walk  prosaically 
through  an  ordinary  entrance,  leave  the 
camera  and  obtain  a  couple  of  twelve  cent 
tickets  apiece,  for,  despite  our  vows  of 
economy  we  had  not  selected  a  free  day, 
being  too  impatient  to  wait  for  a  Monday 
or  a  Saturday. 

The  twentieth  century  slipped  from  our 
memories  as  we  passed  beneath  the  hoary 
archways  and  under  the  very  window  from 
which  Lady  Jane  Grey  had  seen  her  hus- 
band's headless  body  carried  in,  and  watched 
the  building  of  the  scaffold  upon  which  she 
was  to  be  beheaded. 

Comrade  could  hardly  be  torn  from  the 
crown  jewels.  Such  a  collection  of  crowns 
and  coronets  running  to  waste  unworn  was 
beyond  belief!  And  then,  in  addition  there 
were  sceptres  and  crosses,  badges,  stars  and 


36        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

collars  that  made  one  long  to  break  the 
glass — to  say  nothing  of  the  sacred  annoint- 
ing  spoons  that  would  make  such  splendid 
souvenirs!  The  lust  of  possession  entered 
our  souls.  If  all  those  who  visit  the  collec- 
tion feel  as  we  did,  it  is  lucky  for  England 
that  she  has  a  never  failing  supply  of  incor- 
ruptible minions  of  the  law  to  guard  the 
glass  cases!  I  dragged  Comrade  from 
them  and  we  turned  to  gasp  with  amazement 
before  a  "  beef-eater  "  or  "  yeoman  of  the 
guard."  He  was  clad  in  scarlet  and  wore  a 
lovely  ruff  and  a  wonderful  hat,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  knee  breeches  and  long  silk  stockings. 
This,  he  kindly  explained  to  us,  was  a  "  high- 
day  and  holiday "  uniform.  Usually  they 
wear  blue  with  red  trimmings.  On  ordinary 
occasions  too,  silk  stockings  are  not  worn. 
"  It  would  be  bad  for  the  'ealth,"  he  ended 
gravely. 

Oh,  the  curious  blending  of  ancient  and 
modern !  For  the  sake  of  tradition  the  old 
costume  is  kept  in  all  its  glory,  but  a  recogni- 
tion of  the  chilliness  of  the  English  climate, 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        37 

and  latter  day  concern  for  the  well-being  of 
the  public  servants,  has  persuaded  the  author- 
ities to  provide  worsted  stockings  instead  of 
silk  "except  for  fetes!"  And,  while  the 
old  moat  is  still  there,  a  knowledge  of  hy- 
giene has  caused  it  to  be  emptied  of  water 
and  planted  with  grass ! 

The  White  Tower  or  "Keep"  is  the 
oldest  part  of  the  fortress  and  dates 
to  the  ten  hundreds  and  the  days  of 
William  the  Conqueror.  It  was  in  this 
Tower  that  David  of  Scotland,  John  of 
France  and  the  ancestors  of  half  the  nobles 
of  the  present  day  were  imprisoned.  Here 
Richard  the  Second  signed  his  abdication 
and  the  little  princes  were  smothered  while 
they  slept. 

Up  the  corkscrew-like  stairway,  built  in 
the  thickness  of  the  wall  and  so  narrow  that 
we  had  to  go  singly,  are  the  state  apartments. 
We  peered  at  the  vast  collection  of  armour; 
admired  the  brightness  of  the  artistically 
arranged  arms;  marvelled  at  the  array  of  an- 
cient notables  upon  their  prancing  armour- 


38        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

clad  steeds;  called  up  vague  memories  of 
tragic  happenings  at  the  sight  of  the  illus- 
trious names  carved  on  the  walls;  shuddered 
as  we  looked  at  the  thumb-screws,  the  heads- 
man's axe  and  other  instruments  of  torture. 
Then  wandered  out  to  the  site  where  once 
stood  the  scaffold  on  which  Anne  Boleyn, 
Queen  Katherine  Howard,  the  Countess  of 
Salisbury  and  the  Earl  of  Essex  (who  once 
owned  the  Tower  and  only  yielded  it  up  as 
the  price  of  his  ransom)  met  their  doom,  as 
did  that  pathetic  young  figure,  the  ten-day- 
queen,  Lady  Jane  Grey.  It  was  a  great 
moment  for  us,  of  course,  but  some 
how,  as  we  stood  in  the  river  breeze,  the 
past  seemed  very  long  ago.  The  modern 
dress  of  the  soldiers  about  the  Tower,  the 
sunlight  on  the  gloomy  old  place  and  our  own 
exhilarating  sense  of  exploring  made  us  un- 
able to  realise  the  tragic  side  of  our  sur- 
roundings. But  we  should  have  turned 
away  with  due  decorum  had  not  a  young 
country  bumpkin,  reading,  to  his  companion, 
the  inscription  concerning  the  victims  of  the 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING       39 

headsman's  axe,  concluded  it,  in  the  same 
monotone,  with  the  brief  comment  "  Poor 
beggars !  "  We  left  the  Tower  hurriedly. 

It  is  not  wise  to  do  too  much  pleasure 
hunting  at  a  time,  but  when  we  came  unex- 
pectedly upon  the  202  feet  high  Monument 
— raised  in  commemoration  of  the  great  fire 
which  destroyed  London  in  1666 — we  paid 
our  three  pence  in  the  heat  of  our  excitement 
and  started  up  the  narrow  stairway  before 
we  realised  what  we  were  undertaking. 
Outside,  the  slits  in  the  pillar  are  barely  no- 
ticeable, inside  they  begin  by  being  fair  sized 
windows,  but  the  angle  at  which  they  dwindle 
off,  and  the  thickness  of  the  wall,  prevents 
much  light  entering,  and  our  way  up  was 
felt  rather  than  seen.  It  seemed  to  be  miles 
before  we  found  our  gasping  way  out  into 
the  little  railed  inclosure  at  the  top  of  the 
Monument,  but  the  panorama  of  London 
spread  out  before  us  was  worth  the  struggle. 
It  lay  beneath  us  looking  like  a  vast  model. 
What  startled  us  was  the  number  of  churches 


40        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

and  the  oddness  of  their  locations.  They 
show  clearly  how  business  has  usurped  what 
were  once  residential  districts.  On  the 
street  level  they  are  hidden  away  down  nar- 
row lanes  and  behind  buildings,  and  so 
escape  notice.  From  the  Monument  their 
tall  spires  seem  to  rise  in  every  direction, 
the  grime  of  the  city's  smoke  and  soot  giving 
place  to  whiteness  as  they  taper  towards  the 
top.  Over  all,  hangs  the  bluish  haze  of 
London  that  gives  so  charming  a  vagueness 
of  outline  to  the  commonest  objects. 

Down  the  ribbon-like,  twisting  river,  ap- 
parently on  the  wrong  side  and  miles  dis- 
tant, we  saw  Westminster  Abbey;  looking 
in  the  other  direction  the  high,  curious  form 
of  the  Tower  Bridge.  Even  the  dome  of 
St.  Paul's,  with  the  golden  ball  above  it, 
seemed  small  and  far  off,  while  in  the  near 
foreground  the  busy  streets  looked  so  at- 
tractive that  we  hastened  down  to  them  again, 
to  wander  where  we  would  among  the  Jewish 
and  costermonger  quarters,  until  hunger  sent 
us  back  to  more  civilised  parts,  and  we  sought 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        41 

to  appease  it  at  a  "  Slater's  "  within  sight  of 
St.  Paul's. 

It  seems  days  since  I  had  time  to  enter  up 
anything  in  this  diary,  but  that  is  only  be- 
cause the  hours  are  so  filled  with  new  im- 
pressions. Thank  Heaven  the  dates  are 
moving  slowly!  We  have  been  to  picture 
galleries  galore.  The  Tate  Gallery  (once  a 
prison)  where  a  fine  group  of  Watt's  are 
to  be  seen  as  well  as  gems  by  other  modern 
masters.  The  Wallace  collection — which 
must  on  no  account  be  missed — the  Diploma 
Gallery  (that  adjunct  to  Burlington  House 
of  which  few  people  seem  to  know),  en- 
grossing because  it  contains  a  presentation 
picture  by  every  Royal  Academician.  The 
Royal  Academy  itself,  to  see  which  we 
utilised  a  spare  evening,  (it  is  open  at  nights 
at  half  price  during  the  last  week)  and  the 
National  Gallery  to  which  we  went  on  a 
"  student's  day,"  paying  sixpence  for  the  fun 
of  seeing  embryo  artists  at  work  upon  copies 
of  the  old  masters. 


42        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

There  were  yet  more  galleries  to  see,  as 
well  as  the  private  collections,  tickets  to  view 
which  can  always  be  obtained  through  the 
embassy,  but  the  days  were  passing,  so  we 
turned  from  them  to  the  markets  and  went 
from  Smithfield,  where  the  great  patriot  Sir 
William  Wallace  (beloved  of  all  readers  of 
the  Scottish  Chiefs)  was  beheaded,  to  Bil- 
lingsgate, in  our  search  for  adventure. 
Covent  Garden  claimed  us  early  one  morn- 
ing and  we  rose  soon  after  sunrise  to  visit 
that  busiest  of  the  world's  markets  where 
produce  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe 
arrives  in  drays  and  wagon  loads,  and  many 
colored  fruits,  flowers  and  vegetables,  piled 
in  profusion,  offer  such  a  field  for  pictorial 
effect  that  the  scene  is  the  despair  of  photo- 
graphers, though  the  delight  of  artists. 

One  thing  we  learnt  early  in  our  peregri- 
nations, and  that  was,  when  in  going  over 
interesting  places,  a  policeman  looked  en- 
quiringly at  us,  it  was  advisable  to  nod  in- 
telligently and  to  join,  in  a  casual  manner, 
the  unostentatious  group  behind  him.  This 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        43 

is  the  invariable  prelude  to  the  showing  of 
some  sacred  spot  "  to  which  visitors  are  not 
usually  admitted."  On  emerging  it  is  cus- 
tomary to  drop  twopence  into  the  cicerone's 
accidentally  outstretched  palm. 

(Note.     Expense  account  will  be  given  at 
the  end  of  the  two  weeks  spent  in  London.) 


CHAPTER  V 

ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  LETTERS,  WHITEHALL,  METHODS  OF 
TRANSPORTATION,  ST.  PAUL'S,  WESTMINSTER  ABBEY, 
AND  CATHEDRAL,  PARKS,  PALACES,  NOTEWORTHY  BUILD- 
INGS AND  HOUSES,  A  GENERAL  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  RES- 
TAURANTS, TEA  SHOPS  AND  LITTLE-KNOWN  FRENCH 
CAFES,  ETC.,  WHICH  THOSE  WISHING  TO  MAKE  A 
MODERATE  AMOUNT  OF  MONEY  GO  A  LONG  WAY,  CAN 
PATRONISE  TO  ADVANTAGE— MEMORANDUM  OF  EX- 
PENSES. 

WE  have  only  just  discovered  the  first  of  the 
antedeluvian  methods  of  doing  business  which 
we  had  heard  were  customary  in  England. 
When  we  decided  upon  coming  over,  know- 
ing our  address  would  be  uncertain,  we 
directed  everyone  to  send  letters  to  the  paste- 
restante  section  of  the  Charing  Cross  Post 
Office — it  looked  central  on  the  map.  To- 
day we  sallied  forth  to  call  for  mail  and 
learnt  that  there  was  a  cast  iron  rule  for- 
bidding anyone  to  use  the  convenience  for 
longer  than  one  month!  Supposing  you, 
being  out  of  reach,  write  to  ask  that  any 
44 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        45 

epistles  awaiting  you  may  be  forwarded. 
That  communication  dates  the  commence- 
ment of  your  privilege  though  no  letters  may 
come  for  you  for  a  fortnight  afterwards. 
The  only  thing  to  do  is  to  outwit  the  authori- 
ties by  arranging  to  utilise  successive  offices. 
Another  plan  is  to  address  to  the  American 
Express  Company,  but  this  means  frequent 
expeditions  to  the  Haymarket. 

This  little  discovery  was  made  on  a  Satur- 
day morning  when  we  had  been  exploring  the 
Houses  of  Parliament,  peopling  the  House 
of  Commons  with  famous  men  of  the  pres- 
ent day  as  we  looked  at  the  vacant  leather 
covered  benches,  and  revelling  in  the  stillness 
and  magnificence  of  the  House  of  Lords,  as 
we  ventured  to  seat  ourselves  for  a  moment 
on  the  almost  sacred  "  woolsack."  We  had 
then  slipped  into  that  magnificent  Gothic 
structure  the  Abbey,  as  the  last  rolling  notes 
of  the  organ  were  dying  away,  and  joined  the 
little  procession  of  sightseers,  (mainly  con- 
sisting of  Americans)  who  were  awaiting  the 
convenience  of  a  guide. 


46        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

The  highest  honour  England  can  be- 
stow upon  her  greatest  men  is  burial 
in  the  Abbey,  and  for  centuries  past 
the  noblest  have  been  here  laid  to  rest. 
Busts  and  tablets  commemorative  of  those 
who  have  won  fame  in  war,  exploration, 
science,  art  and  religion,  fill  the  aisles.  A 
realization  of  our  own  youth  is  forced  upon 
us  here.  Another  sense  impresses  one — one 
of  desecration.  The  tombs  of  England's 
illustrious  dead  should  not  be  turned  into  a 
sixpenny  peepshow !  Again,  the  effigies  need 
restoring  badly,  tourists  have  wrenched 
crests  from  the  biers,  and,  in  some  cases 
have  actually  carried  off  the  small  sculptured 
heads  and  limbs  as  souvenirs! 

Comrade  and  I  like  better  than  the  tombs 
and  chapels,  the  stillness  of  the  "  long  drawn 
aisles,"  wherein,  beneath  our  feet,  are  en- 
graved the  names  of  those  known  to  us  from 
childhood.  We  stepped  carefully  towards 
that  of  Charles  Dickens,  for  there  is  an  un- 
canny sensation  in  walking  over  the  dust  of 
the  dead,  and  upon  the  stone  above  the  nove- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        47 

list  some  travelling  American  had  laid  a 
bunch  of  flowers  and  a  tiny  stars  and  stripes  1 

We  left  hoping  to  be  in  time  to  see  the 
changing  of  the  guard  at  Whitehall,  but 
missed  it,  so,  after  snatching  a  glance  at  the 
window  through  which  Charles  the  First 
passed  to  execution,  we  caught  that  best  of 
all  London's  means  of  locomotion,  an  "  elec- 
trobus  "  to  go  to  St.  Paul's,  for  we  were  in 
the  mood  for  churches.  On  the  way  down 
Fleet  St,  however,  we  became  fired  with  a 
desire  to  go  over  whatever  part  of  the 
Temple  it  was  permissible  to  visit.  The 
very  arch  of  it  carried  us  back  to  the  time 
of  Richard  Coeur-de-Lion,  the  Knights 
Templars  and  Sir  Walter  Scott  (for  was  it 
not  once  owned  by  Aymer  de  Valence,  hero 
of  Castle  Dangerous?)  before  the  Knights 
of  St.  John  claimed  it  and  leased  it  out  to 
students,  a  practice  which  has  continued  to 
this  day. 

To  those  accustomed  to  modern  flats  the 
stone  stairway,  and  rear-like  entrance,  may 
not  seem  imposing,  but  the  chambers  are  the 


48        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

most  sought  after  in  London,  by  certain 
classes,  and  those  barristers  and  writers  who 
become  tenants  of  even  the  third  and  fourth 
generation  of  sub-lessees,  count  themselves 
fortunate. 

The  Temple  church  is  Norman,  and  well 
worth  a  visit,  while  the  halls  are  one  of  the 
sights  of  London.  The  walls  are  panelled 
in  old  oak,  and  these  panels,  like  the  win- 
dows, are  crested  with  the  coats-of-arms  of 
the  famous  men  who  have  been  readers  to 
the  students.  At  one  end  of  the  great  dining 
hall  is  the  very  stage  upon  which  Shakespeare 
acted  Twelfth  Night  with  a  Queen  for  his 
audience.  Elizabeth  sat  at  the  oak  table 
which  was  made  from  the  wood  of  the  ship 
in  which  Drake  sailed  round  the  world,  and 
herself  led  the  applause,  for  Elizabeth  en- 
joyed life  as  should  her  father's  daughter. 

In  love  of  contrast  we  laid  aside  our 
thoughts  of  Elizabeth  and  entered  the  tran- 
quil grandeur  of  St.  Paul's.  Even  the  in- 
cessant roar  of  London  sounded  dim  be- 
neath the  great  dome  into  which  one  gazes 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        49 

vaguely.  Through  the  distance-giving-haze 
in  the  heights,  the  gleam  of  gold  and  gorgeous 
colour  can  be  seen.  Beneath,  the  torn, 
singed  flags  (those  symbols  of  England's 
warlike  spirit),  are  tombs  and  tablets  com- 
memorative of  great  men  and  heroic  deeds. 
The  most  splendid  inscription  of  all  is  on  the 
monument  to  "  Chinese  Gordon." 

"  Major-General  Gordon,  C.  B.,"  so  it 
runs,  "  Who  at  all  times  and  everywhere  gave 
his  strength  to  the  weak,  his  substance  to  the 
poor,  his  sympathy  to  the  suffering,  and  his 
heart  to  God.  He  saved  an  empire  by  his 
war-like  genius.  He  ruled  vast  provinces 
with  justice,  wisdom  and  power,  and  lastly, 
obedient  to  his  sovereign's  command,  he  died 
in  the  heroic  attempt  to  save  men,  women 
and  children,  from  imminent  and  deadly 
peril." 

After  reading  that,  the  world  old  flags, 
which  gave  the  touch  of  colour  needed  in 
the  black  and  white  vista  of  the  aisles, 
seemed  to  have  a  new  meaning.  We  passed 
tablets  to  soldiers,  war-correspondents. 


50        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

clergy  and  other  famous  men,  and  went 
thoughtfully  down  to  the  silent  crypt,  made 
weird  by  the  shadows  of  those  passing  with- 
out, wherein  stands  the  colossal  funeral  car 
of  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  It  was  made 
out  of  the  cannon  captured  from  the  French. 
Here,  in  the  shadows  beyond  the  sarcophagus 
containing  the  body  of  Nelson,  flanked  by 
the  graves  of  Collingwood  and  Corn- 
wallis,  we  found  forgotten  statues  of  men 
long  dead  who  have  been  conquered 
by  the  ages. — Their  very  names  are  unknown 
to  the  present  generation !  But  some  are 
remembered,  for  as  we  stepped  softly  over 
the  tombs,  past  that  of  Sir  Christopher 
Wren,  with  its  memorable  inscription,  to- 
wards "  Painter's  Corner,"  we  found,  in  a 
niche  in  the  stone  of  one  statue,  a  visiting 
card  ( !)  laid  there  by  some  vandal  from  the 
Western  States. 

When  we  recovered  our  equanimity  we  set 
out  to  climb  to  the  gilded  ball  above  the  gol- 
den gallery,  but  found  that  Britannia  was  too 
generous.  A  sixpenny  worth  of  stairs  taxed 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        51 

our  capacity  to  the  uttermost.  So,  after 
peeping  in  at  the  library,  used,  as  the  cus- 
todian told  us,  "  by  gentlemen,  authors  and 
such-like,"  we  stopped  at  the  Whispering 
Gallery  and  saw  the  people  in  the  aisles  be- 
low looking  like  Lilliputians.  For  the  first 
time  we  realised  the  glory  of  colour  in  the 
cathedral.  Then  we  started  violently. 
No  one  was  near  ,yet  such  an  emphatic  order 
to  "  sit  down  "  was  given  that  we  instinc- 
tively obeyed.  The  mysterious  voice 
sounded  again  and  dry  facts  were  delivered 
in  a  loud  whisper — 

"  St.-Paurs-was-begun-in-i875-nine-years- 
after-the-Great-Fire-of-London  It-took  35- 
years-to-build-and  cost-one-and-a-half-million 
-pounds-sterling-  There-are-62y-steps-to-the- 
top-and-the-diameter-of-the-galleries-is-ii2 
feet-the-total-height-of-St-Paurs-Cathedral-is 
3 65-f eet-the-designer-Sir-Christopher  Wren- 
is-buried-in-the-crypt."  The  sepulchral  voice 
ceased  but  no  ghost  would  retail  such  dry- 
ness  so  we  glanced  about  for  the  speaker, 
and,  across  the  circular  "Whispering  Gal- 


52        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

lery  "  saw  a  toothless  old  man  whispering  to 
a  post.  It  was  his  voice  that  had  reached 
us  with  such  weird  effect ! 

Surely  London  days  are  flying.  We  have 
seen  much,  but  not  one-tenth  of  what  we 
want  to!  One  Sunday  morning  was  spent 
in  watching  the  notables  on  "  Sunday  Par- 
ade "  in  Hyde  Park.  Another  vanished 
when  we  went  to  see  the  quaintly  costumed 
mites  at  the  Foundling  Hospital.  An  after- 
noon fled  while  we  sat  on  penny  chairs  in  the 
Park,  waiting  for  the  Queen  to  drive  by. 
Warm  evenings  have  melted  away  at  the 
military  promenade  concerts  in  the  parks. 
As  for  Kensington  Palace  and  the  Albert 
Memorial  we  only  just  glanced  at  them 
one  afternoon  when  we  went  to  drink  tea 
beneath  the  great  paper  umbrellas,  of  the  tea- 
house in  Kensington  Gardens.  The  shop- 
ping districts  have  hardly  been  touched  up- 
on. The  British  Museum,  where  we  had 
intended  really  to  study,  has  scarcely  been 
more  than  entered.  That  in  South  Kensing- 
ton is  almost  unknown  territory  as  is  also 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        53 

Westminster  Cathedral.  Sir  Frederick 
Leighton's  House  with  its  interesting  studio 
and  wonderful  Moorish  Hall  simply  must  be 
seen.  And  what  self-respecting  person 
could  leave  London  without  having  visited 
the  little  house  in  Chelsea  wherein  once  dwelt 
the  sage,  Carlyle?  Then  the  memorial 
tableted  buildings  must  be  searched  out  (ac- 
cording to  the  list  in  "What's  On"),  the 
homes  of  Edmund  Kean,  Byron,  Keats,  Dar- 
win, Dickens,  and  a  hundred  others.  And 
Charterhouse,  Thackeray's  oldschool,  ought 
to  be  visited,  perhaps  the  day  we  seek  St.Bar- 
tholemew's,  the  oldest  church  in  London. 
The  King's  stables  too,  at  Buckingham 
Palace,  are  yet  to  be  seen. 

At  least  we  know  the  restaurants  for  we 
have  visited  most  of  the  famous  ones  as  well 
as  those  noted  for  moderate  prices.  All 
Slater's  seem  good  and  cheap,  while  the  A. 
B.  C.'s  and  Express  Dairy  Companies'  shops 
supply  odd  meals.  The  Kardomah  of 
Piccadilly  is  the  nicest  and  most  reasonable 
place  in  London  for  afternoon  tea.  The 


54        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

James  Fleming  restaurants  in  Oxford  Street 
are  marvels  of  cheapness.  At  Pinoli's  in 
Wardour  St.  an  eight  course  French  dinner 
can  be  obtained  for  a  couple  of  shillings, 
while  the  quaint  little  "  Roche  "  near-by  in- 
cludes wine  at  a  yet  smaller  price. 

A  great  advantage  in  these  foreign  places 
is  that  they  are  open  on  Sundays — a  day  when 
it  is  possible  to  starve  in  London  unless  one 
"  knows  the  ropes." 

So  far  our  expenses  have  been  as  small  as 
I  had  hoped. 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

TWO  WEEKS  IN  LONDON. 

Room  at  eight  shillings  per  week $  4.00 

Fourteen  breakfasts  at  eight  pence 2.24 

Lunches  at  an  average  of  one  shilling 3.50 

Dinners   (six  at  one  shilling  and  six  pence  and 

eight  at  two  shillings,    respectively 6.26 

Entrance  fees,  Royal  Academy,  night,  National 
Gallery,  (Student's  Day)  Monument,  three 
pence,  Abbey  six  pence,  Tower  one  shilling, 
Foundling  Hospital  one  shilling,  St.  Paul's  one 

shilling    i .80 

Park  chairs,  omnibuses,  boats,  tips  and  incidentals    5.74 

$23.54 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  ENVIRONS  OF  LONDON,  HAMPTON  COURT,  KEW, 
RICHMOND,  EPPING  FOREST,  GREENWICH  AND  AN  EX- 
CURSION TO  WINDSOR  AND  ETON,  WITH  COSTS  AND 
WAYS  OF  GOING — MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES. 

OUR  sense  of  the  u  foreign-ness  "  of  Lon- 
don is  wearing  away.  We  no  longer  hesitate 
to  ask  a  question  in  momentary  uncertainty 
as  to  the  language  to  employ.  It  is  well,  for 
we  can  spare  no  more  time  for  exploration 
of  the  grand  old  city  if  we  would  learn  to 
know  its  environs.  Henceforward  London 
will  be  our  headquarters  only,  except  for  such 
scraps  of  days  as  really  must  be  devoted  to 
seeing  hitherto  neglected  places  such  as 
Greenwich,  Hampstead  Heath,  Madame 
Tussauds,  Lambeth  Palace  (the  abode  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury),  the  Guildhall, 
and  any  particular  attractions  in  the  theat- 
rical, musical  or  royal  spectacular  lines.  For 
55 


56        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

the  rest  we  shall  be  out  of  town  visiting 
nearby  places,  Richmond,  Kew,  Hampton 
Court,  Windsor,  Burnham  Beeches,  Vir- 
ginia Water,  Eton  and  Epping  Forest. 

Hampton  Court  can  be  seen  on  the  same 
day  as  Richmond  and  Kew,  if  you  like,  and 
the  speediest  method  of  transport  is  by  the 
Metropolitan  from  Victoria,  or  by  tube  to 
Shepherds'  Bush,  thence  by  electric  tram.  But 
Comrade  and  I  hate  hurry,  so  we  set  aside 
advice  tending  that  way  ,and,  on  a  glorious 
morning  caught  one  of  the  few  boats  that 
undertake  to  carry  passengers  the  whole  dis- 
tance. The  leisurely  journey  was  just  the 
rest  we  needed  after  our  strenuous  days  of 
sightseeing,  and  we  were  delighted  with  the 
fascinating  glimpses  of  houseboat  life  vouch- 
safed to  us  en  route.  Then,  too,  we  passed 
many  a  place  known  to  us  by  name,  including 
Twickenham  Ferry,  the  reaching  of  which 
seemed  the  signal  for  an  outburst  of  the 
popular  song.  Kingston  was  not  far  distant 
— how  impossible  it  is  to  realise  that  the  little 
place  was  once  England's  capital  and  the 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        57 

scene  of  the  coronation  of  seven  of  the  Saxon 
kings  1 

Hampton  Court  (open  to  the  public  daily 
except  Friday)  was  reached  in  time  for  us 
to  lunch  at  a  funny  little  "  Cyclists'  Rest," 
and  after  that  the  wonder  of  the  magnificent 
flowering  chestnut  trees  engrossed  us  so  that 
we  could  hardly  tear  ourselves  from  them  to 
enter  the  palace.  The  mile-long,  triple  ave- 
nue, stretching  out  to  Teddington,  is  indeed 
unforgetable  when  seen  in  full  bloom.  The 
candle-like  masses  of  pink  and  white  flowers 
reminded  us  both  of  glorified  Christmas 
trees  1 

An  omnibus  makes  the  whole  distance  for  a 
few  pence,  but  we  had  come  out  for  a  restful 
day,  so  disdained  such  a  vehicle,  preferring 
instead,  after  seeing  the  palace  and  pictures, 
the  tapestry,  rare  old  china,  furniture  and 
orangery,  to  loiter  awhile  by  the  fountain, 
feed  the  ancient  carp,  penetrate  a  little  way 
into  the  maze  "  just  to  say  we  had  done  it," 
and  then  ramble  slowly  through  the  park  in 
the  direction  of  Teddington.  We  petted  the 


58        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

gentle  deer  as  they  came  running  to  us, 
while  we  laid  plans  for  the  forthcoming 
weeks  as  we  rested  beneath  the  magnificent 
cedars — and  lo  ! — the  day  was  gone. 

We  could  not  help  being  sorry  for  Cardinal 
Wolsey  when  we  looked  back  and  saw  the 
palace  bathed  in  sunset  colours.  It  must 
have  been  trying  to  have  to  pretend  that  he 
had  built  it  for  Henry  VIII.  .  .  .  Many 
sovereigns  have  inhabited  it  at  one  time  or 
another — the  Charles',  Elizabeth,  William 
and  Mary,  "  Good  Queen  Anne,"  and  both 
the  first  and  second  Georges.  Do  their 
ghosts  gather  in  the  gorgeous,  deserted  halls, 
after  nightfall,  when  the  general  public  is 
shut  out,  I  wonder?  .  .  . 

We  have  just  returned  from  Windsor  and 
it  has  been  one  of  our  best  days.  .  .  .  Let 
me  write  about  it  while  the  joy  is  fresh  and 
my  impressions  are  undimmed  by  others. 

Without  doubt  Windsor  Castle  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  of  all  the  royal  resid- 
ences in  Europe.  Imagination  often  rears 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        59 

such  splendid  palaces  that  reality  must  fall 
short  of  expectations.  It  is  not  so  with 
Windsor.  We  went  from  Waterloo  on  an 
excursion  fare — after  looking  up  (in 
"  What's  On")  the  days  on  which  the  most 
parts  of  the  palace  were  on  view.  Our  first 
view  of  the  castle  was  from  the  Hundred 
Steps,  which  were  built,  it  is  said,  by  Henry 
VIII.,  in  order  that  when  royalty  lay  heavily 
on  him,  he  might  escape  unnoticed,  to 
mix  with  the  yokels  at  the  bar  of  the  village 
inn,  or  fight  with  some  pugnacious  butcher. 

Windsor  Castle,  which  has  been  one  of  the 
chief  homes  of  the  kings  of  England  since  the 
days  of  the  Conqueror,  stands,  a  stately  pile, 
above  a  tiny  village.  The  dim  blue  English 
atmosphere  forms  a  splendid  background  for 
its  turrets  and  towers;  one  of  the  fairest 
views  can  be  gained  from  the  river. 

The  castle  itself  deserves  first  attention; 
the  "  state  apartments  "  with  their  gorgeous 
ceilings  and  noble  proportions,  are  worthy 
of  their  name.  They  are  fitly  the  apartments 
of  kings.  The  damask  on  the  walls  has  been 


60        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

woven  especially  for  royal  use,  and  has  the 
famous  motto,  "  Honi  soit  qui  mal  y  pense" 
emblazoned  upon  it.  This  is  also  seen  again 
among  the  brown  oak  leaves  on  the  carpets. 
Costly  bric-a-brac  decks  the  halls  and  much  of 
it  has  been  wrested  from  England's  foes.  In 
a  glass  case  there  stands  a  sacred  bird  of 
India,  it  was  taken  from  Tipoo  Sahib  after 
the  mutiny,  and  the  Hindi  will  tell  you  that 
whosoever  holds  possession  of  the  bejewelled 
trophy  shall  wield  dominant  power  over 
India.  And  there  are  cases  after  cases  of 
equally  valuable  spoils  of  war.  Among  them 
are  costly  gifts  from  almost  all  the  peoples 
of  the  world.  The  silver-gilt  throne  in  the 
throne  room  is  another  symbol  of  victory. 
The  Kings  of  Kandy  formerly  rested  against 
its  high  back,  and  on  the  dragons  with  their 
gleaming  amythest  eyes.  Another  visible 
sign  of  England's  triumphs  is  the  colossal 
bell  that  hancfs  in  the  famous  moated  tower; 
it  was  wrested  from  the  Russians  at  Sebas- 
tapol. 

St.  George's  Hall  is  almost  the  finest  of 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        61 

the  spacious  apartments  to  be  seen  at  Wind- 
sor. It  is  200  feet  long  and  breadth  and 
height  are  practically  identical,  34  and  32 
feet.  Edward  the  Third  built  it  to  serve  as  a 
banqueting  hall  for  the  Knights  of  the  Gar- 
ter, and  it  is  now  used  on  state  occasion.  The 
ceiling  is  decorated  with  the  shields  and  arms 
of  all  the  Knights  of  the  Garter  since  the 
foundation  of  the  order.  The  banners  of 
the  original  twenty-five  hang  beneath  the 
shields,  for  flags  are  used,  with  great  effect, 
everywhere  in  the  castle.  Some  are  ancient 
flags  with  gallant  histories,  and  are  so  worn 
and  singed  that  they  have  had  to  be  carefully 
stitched  on  to  a  foundation  to  keep  them  to- 
gether at  all.  A  black  flag  hangs  out,  oddly 
distinct  among  the  colours ;  it  was  taken  from 
the  Dervishers  by  Lord  Kitchener.  Two 
new  ones  next  catch  the  eye,  they  are  French, 
and  hang  above  the  busts  of  Marlborough 
and  Wellington.  It  is  obligatory  upon  the 
descendants  of  these  dukes  to  renew  them 
once  a  year;  if  they  are  not  so  replaced  (so 
runs  the  decree),  the  titles  shall  lapse.  Cer- 


62        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

tainly  a  curious  tenure  upon  which  to  hold 
two  of  the  proudest  names  in  England. 

St.  George's  Chapel,  where  the  royal  mar- 
riages take  place,  is  also  hung  with  flags.  A 
banner  emblazoned  with  a  knight's  arms, 
hangs  above  each  carved  stall.  They  form 
a  gorgeous  avenue  of  colour  leading  towards 
the  altar. 

If  you  climb  to  the  battlements  of  the 
Round  Tower  (used  as  a  prison  "  until 
1660!  ")  twelve  surrounding  counties  can  be 
seen,  and  from  the  broad  east  terrace,  across 
the  moated  gardens,  some  of  the  stately 
homes  of  England  are  visible;  several  can  be 
viewed  upon  request.  Many  are  to-day  in- 
habited by  millionaire  Americans!  Down 
beneath  the  castle,  herds  of  deer  are  gathered 
beneath  the  magnificent,  centuries  old  oaks 
which  stretch  away  in  grand  cathedral-like 
aisles  to  the  equestrian  statue  of  George  the 
Third,  some  three  miles  distant  down  the 
Long  Walk. 

One  is  forcibly  reminded  of  the  richness 
of  England  in  historic  and  literary  memories 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        63 

when  standing  on  the  terraces,  or  beneath 
the  hoary  arches,  of  Windsor  Castle.  "What 
are  those  grey  buildings?"  you  ask,  point- 
ing to  some  within  easy  walking  distance. 
"  Eton  College,"  comes  the  answer,  and  you 
register  a  mental  vow  to  go  there  before  you 
return  to  the  city.  Some  one  else  is  asking 
if  the  distant,  white-spired,  church,  is  any- 
thing in  particular.  And  you  learn  that  it  is 
Stoke  Pogis,  and  that  the  little  churchyard 
is  immortalised  in  Grey's  "  Elegy."  Frog- 
more,  the  mausoleum  wherein  lies  the 
"  Good  Queen,"  is  also  within  sight,  as  is 
Runnymede,  where  John  signed  the  Magna 
Charta  and  so  gave  Englishmen  their  long 
fought  for  liberty. 

Tingling  with  the  thought  of  the  stir  and 
stress  of  life,  and  the  men  who  have  lived 
and  made  the  world  better,  we  passed 
through  the  quiet  cloisters  wherein  old 
knights,  not  blessed  with  this  world's  goods, 
have  quarters  set  aside  for  them  beneath  the 
king's  own  roof,  and  here  spend  their  de- 
clining years  in  peace. 


64        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

One  other  day  in  this  glorious  week  will 
not  be  denied  admission  to  my  diary  and  that 
is  one  we  spent  picknicing  in  Epping  Forest. 
It  is  incredible  that  such  a  forest  can  exist 
within  twelve  miles  of  the  hughest  city  the 
world  has  ever  known,  but  it  does,  and  you 
can  walk  for  hours  in  the  green  glades  with- 
out meeting  a  soul,  even  if  you  go  on  Bank 
Holiday,  when,  according  to  statistics,  thou- 
sands will  have  taken  train  to  the  same  place. 
At  all  seasons  the  forest  has  its  especial 
loveliness.  In  the  spring  the  pink  and  white 
hawthorn  makes  certain  valleys  visions  of 
fairyland.  In  the  Autumn  the  rich  bracken 
is  tinted  to  gold  and  the  ground  beneath  the 
beeches  is  thick  with  glorious,  copper-col- 
oured leaves.  In  winter,  the  solitude  and 
purity  of  the  untouched  snow,  and  the  leaf- 
less, frosted,  many  twigged  trees,  is  unforget- 
able.  In  the  height  of  summer  the  spread- 
ing branches  rest  eyes,  weary  of  streets  and 
buildings,  while  the  larks,  thrushes,  nightin- 
gales and  other  songsters  create  an  orchestra 
for  you  at  all  times.  Herons  and  kingfishers 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        65 

may  be  seen  by  those  who  seek — rare  butter- 
flies flutter  about,  and  shy  deer  slip  by  in 
haste.  It  was  at  High  Beech  that  Tennyson 
wrote  "The  Talking  Oak." 

It  is  possible  that  I  have  forgotten  Rich- 
mond?— The  day  when  we  went  to  Kew, 
revelled  in  the  Gardens  and  then  walked 
along  the  footpath  by  the  river  to  drink  tea 
and  eat  the  famous  "  Maids  of  Honour  "  at 
a  pastrycook's  in  the  busy  little  town  with 
which  so  many  royal  names  have  been  as- 
sociated? And  then  we  found  our  way  to 
the  Terrace  Gardens  to  seek  the  view  over 
the  Thames  Valley  which  is  said  to  be  un- 
surpassed of  its  kind — and  seeing  we  be- 
lieved— next  turned  from  the  ribbon-like 
river  to  find  White  Lodge  in  Richmond  Park 
for  Comrade  had  been  reading  "  The  Heart 
of  Midlothian  "  and  would  not  rest  until  the 
site  of  Jeanie  Deans'  historic  interview  with 
Queen  Caroline  had  been  seen.  I  wonder 
how  our  expenses  are  going?  Must  stop  to 
cast  up  the  accounts ! 


66        How  TO  VISIT   EUROPE 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

Rent  of  room  per  week,  at  eight  shillings $  2.00 

Breakfasts   1.16 

Luncheons  1.80 

Dinners   •  • 3.00 

Fares   2.15 

Extras  and  incidentals . . 85 

$10.96 


CHAPTER  VII 

STRATFORD-ON-AVON  AND  How  TO  GET  THERE — THE 
DUAL  DEITIES — HINTS  ON  SEEING  KENILWORTH,  WOOD- 
STOCK OR  BLENHEIM. 

THE  right  way  to  go  to  Stratford-on-Avon 
is  from  Oxford  whence  it  can  quickly  be 
reached  by  rail,  or,  if  you  are  athletically  in- 
clined, by  road  on  a  cycle,  being  only  39  miles 
off — in  this  event  Woodstock  or  Blenheim — 
could  be  explored  midway.  We  did  not  do 
this  wise  thing  but  took,  instead,  a  six-and- 
sixpenny  day  excursion  ticket  from  Euston. 
These  can  be  had  on  Wednesdays  and  Satur- 
days throughout  the  season,  and  the  trains 
are  so  arranged  that  ample  time  is  given  for 
seeing  all  the  most  important  sights,  though 
you  will  doubtless  feel  that  a  week  would 
not  be  too  much  for  Stratford  and  its  sur- 
roundings. It  is  the  centre  for  some  of  the 
most  interesting  points  in  England.  Kenil- 
worth  is  only  thirteen  miles  distant  and  for 
the  payment  of  a  sixpence  you  may  ramble 
67 


68        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

where  you  will,  re-peopling  it,  in  imagination, 
with  the  ghosts  of  Elizabeth  and  Leicester, 
or  stand  and  dream  in  the  very  spot  where 
the  unhappy  Edward  the  Second  abdicated 
his  crown.  Warwick  is  half  the  distance 
with  twice  the  entrance  fee.  The  famous 
cathedral  and  porcelain  works  of  Worcester 
are  what  might,  in  the  States,  be  called  "  a 
street  length  off  " — 25  miles.  England  is 
such  a  compact  little  island! 

As  for  Stratford-on-Avon  itself,  it  can  be 
seen  in  a  day,  and  a  sufficiently  leisurely  day 
to  be  enjoyable.  Imagine  a  quiet  little  vil- 
lage with  wide  streets,  a  winding  river  and 
picturesque  old  houses,  and  you  have  Strat- 
ford— except  for  Shakespeare  and  Marie 
Corelli. 

The  fact  that  the  one  was  born  here,  and 
the  other  lives  here,  attracts  thousands,  and 
the  requirements  of  these  tourists  have  called 
various  businesses  into  existence.  Rows  of 
"  flys  "  stand  outside  the  stations,  cyclists' 
rests,  tea-shops,  and  cafes  abound,  as  do 
numerous  places  where  portraits  of  Shake- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        69 

speare  and  Marie  Corelli,  views  of  their  re- 
spective houses,  and  souvenir  spoons  com- 
memorative of  both,  are  displayed  in  equally 
prominent  positions.  The  rustic  who  volun- 
teers directions  to  any  Shakespearian  spot 
rarely  fails  also  to  indicate  the  exact  location 
of  "  Mason  Croft,"  where  dwells  the  author- 
ess of  the  "  best  selling  novel  of  modern 


times." 


First  in  importance  as  a  show  place  comes, 
of  course,  Shakespeare's  own  home  in  which 
he  was  born  in  the  quaintest  of  low  roofed 
rooms.  There  is  little  enough  in  the  house 
now,  a  bust,  a  table,  an  escritoire,  and  a 
contemporary  chair  or  two.  But  there  is  a 
fascination  about  the  old  place  and  one  pre- 
fers to  linger  in  the  bare  rooms  rather  than 
in  the  museum  where  there  are  more  relics. 
From  the  window  a  charming  glimpse  can  be 
had  into  the  garden  where  someone  with  a 
pretty  fancy  has  planted  almost  all  the  herbs 
and  plants  mentioned  in  the  immortal  plays. 

Stratford  offers  a  splendid  field  for  the 
camera.  Shakespeare's  house  itself  could 


70        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

hardly  fail  to  come  out  well,  nor  the  carved 
front  of  that  of  John  Harvard,  nor  the 
quaint,  low-roofed  grammar  schools  in  which 
Shakespeare,  as  an  eager-eyed  boy,  must 
have  seen  his  first  play — it  served  as  a  theatre 
for  travelling  actors.  Trinity  Church  in 
which  the  dramatist  is  buried,  is  also  splendid 
from  the  picturesque  point  of  view.  The 
epitaph  above  the  grave  of  the  "  Swan  of 
Avon"  struck  us  as  curiously  pathetic — 

"Good  friend  for  Jesus  sake  forbeare, 
To  Digg  the  dust  encloased  heare, 
Bleast  be  ye  man  yt  spares  these  tones, 
And  curst  be  he  y*  moves  my  bones." 

It  was  in  this  church  too  that  we  came 
upon  a  curiosity  of  which  we  had  read  but 
never  seen — a  chained  Bible! 

But  the  most  charming  feature  of  the 
whole  place  is  Ann  Hathaway's  cottage  and 
the  pleasantest  way  of  reaching  it  is  to  stroll 
to  Shottery  by  the  lanes  and  fields.  We  did 
this  and  there  was  no  danger  of  losing  our 
way  for  sign  posts  and  directions  abound. 
When  we  came  suddenly  upon  it  the  old 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        71 

world  charm  of  the  little  place  enchanted  us. 
It  is  set  in  that  ideal  background  an  old- 
fashioned,  sweet-scented  garden,  wherein 
nothing  new  has  been  permitted  to  intrude. 
Picture  an  eav-hung,  thick-thatched  cottage 
with  windows  and  doors  at  odd  angles  and  in 
unexpected  corners,  and  you  have  the  famous 
place.  Nothing  has  changed.  Enter  and 
the  clock  turns  centuries  back  for  you.  You 
see  what  Shakespeare  must  have  seen,  when 
he  came  swiftly  by  the  very  paths  we  our- 
selves have  trod,  to  talk  over  his  hopes  and 
ambitions,  dream  dreams  and  build  castles 
in  the  air  with  Ann  Hathaway  to  help  him. 
The  illusion  is  complete,  for  the  trustees  have 
done  their  work  well.  Whenever  possible 
they  have  obtained  the  identical  household 
goods,  but  when  such  were  unprocurable, 
contemporary  utensils  have  been  put  into 
place,  with  the  result  that  here  there  is  none 
of  the  stiff  formality  noticeable  in  Shake- 
speare's house. 

A  touch  of  unconscious  humor,  is  supplied 
by   the    extremely   blase   young    guide   who 


72        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

escorts  guests  about  the  house  and  watches 
with  lynx-eyes  to  see  that  they  do  not  write 
names  upon  the  walls.  She  so  fascinated 
Comrade  and  me  that  we  followed  round  in 
several  groups.  First  she  herds  the  various 
tourists  together  like  sheep,  then  begins  in 
an  even  monotone — 

"That  is  the  settee  upon  which  (it  is  be- 
lieved) William  Shakespeare  and  Ann  Hath- 
away sat  when  he  came  courting  here.  This 
is  the  platter  on  which  (it  is  said)  food  was 
eaten  at  that  period.  You  will  observe  that 
it  is  reversible.  First  they  ate  meat  and 
vegetables  from  one  side — you  will  observe 
the  hollow  (said  to  be)  used  for  salt — then 
they  turned  it  over  and  partook  of  pudding. 
Visitors  will  now  proceed  upstairs."  They 
followed  and  the  expressionless  voice  con- 
tinued. '  Visitors  will  now  descend."  They 
did,  and  a  fresh  supply  entered.  The  same 
even  tone  started  on  the  same  sentence! 
"  That  is  the  settee  upon." 

"Is  she  an  automaton?"  gasped  Com- 
rade. 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        73 

"  A  phonograph  would  give  more  variety 
of  expression,"  I  cried  as  we  covered  our 
ears  and  fled  out  through  the  gate,  past  a 
group  of  children  selling  "  Marie  Corelli 
and  Shakespearian  wildflowers."  And  still 
upon  the  soft  warm  breeze  came  the  hard 
unvaried  monotone  beginning  all  over  again 
— "  This  is  the  settee  upon  which  it  is  be- 
lieved.*' It  rang  in  our  ears  until  we  re- 
turned to  Stratford  and  found  a  boat  to 
take  us  upon  the  historic  Avon.  No  noisy 
motor  or  puffing  steamer  for  us,  when  our 
own  strong  young  arms  could  propel  us  down 
the  tree  fringed  stream,  where  every  stroke 
brought  new  beauties  into  view. 

Note. — Expense  account  will  be  found  together  with 
that  of  Chapter  VIII. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  GLORY  OF  OXFORD;  ITS  COLLEGES  AND  CHURCHES, 
SPACIOUS  QUADRANGLES  AND  WINDING  BACK  WATERS 
— STUDENT  LODGINGS  AND  How  WE  FOUND  THEM — 
HISTORY  INCARNATE— MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES. 

IT  is  fortunate  that  I  found  time  to  describe 
our  day  at  Stratford-on-Avon  before  we 
went  to  Oxford,  for  now  I  can  think  of  noth- 
ing except  that  city  of  colleges,  domes,  spires 
and  spacious  quadrangles  which  calls  to  her, 
students  from  afar.  Oxford  is  exactly  what 
it  ought  to  be.  Walls — hoary  with  age — ivy 
covered  walls,  chapels  glorious  with  carving; 
arches,  stained  glass,  and  delicate  ceilings, 
mellowed  by  time.  The  curious  part  of  it 
is  that  it  is  in  the  byways  you  find  the  great- 
est glories.  Stay  in  the  wider  roads  and  you 
are  amid  shops  and  modernism.  Search  out 
the  spires  and  grey  walls  of  which  glimpses 
can  be  had  from  the  main  streets,  and  you 
will  find  historic  colleges  down  the  narrow 

74 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        75 

lanes  through  which  only  pedestrians  can 
pass.  All  is  eloquent  of  the  bygone  centuries 
that  gave  Oxford  birth. 

Comrade  and  I  took  a  week-end  ticket 
(when  we  arrived  we  wished  to  stay  a  month 
at  least)  caught  an  afternoon  train  from 
Paddington  and  descended  at  our  destination 
in  time  for  dinner.  We  took  the  waitress 
into  our  confidence  regarding  our  need  for  a 
lodging  (an  hotel  was  too  prosaic  to  be 
thought  of)  and  according  to  her  directions 
as  to  locality  found  our  way  to  Pembroke  St. 
down  which,  a  stone's  throw  from  Christ 
Church  we  found  Broadgates  Hall  a  "  li- 
censed lodging  "  in  which  to  our  delight  we 
were  able  to  establish  ourselves  in  real  stud- 
ent "  diggings. "  One  had  considerately  de- 
parted and  we  enjoyed  his  luxuries.  It  ad- 
ded to  our  pleasure  that  a  card  bearing  the 
words  "  God  Save  the  King  "  was  above  his 
name  on  our  door.  This  signified  that  he 
had  just  taken  his  degree — and  in  fact  that 
this  portion  of  his  life  was  over.  The  col- 
lege crests  popularly  known  as  "  freshers 


76        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

delights"  ornamenting  the  student's  quar- 
ters so  captivated  our  fancy  that  a  new  trunk 
seemed  almost  a  necessity. 

Unpacking  was  only  a  matter  of  minutes, 
so  impatient  were  we  to  be  exploring  historic 
Oxford.  Perhaps  the  starlit  night  gave 
glamor  to  the  scene,  perhaps  the  hoary  walls 
looked  the  more  vaguely  mysterious  in  the 
dim  light  of  the  moon,  but  that  first  night 
ramble  about  Oxford  and  down  the  narrow 
lanes,  as  we  located  college  after  college, 
aided  by  a  little  guide  book,  will  always  re- 
main in  my  memory  as  one  of  the  most  de- 
lightful of  all  our  nights  in  England.  The 
thrill  of  it,  as  we  stood  in  the  quadrangle  of 
Christ  church,  the  most  magnificent  and  spac- 
ious in  Oxford,  and  listened  to  the  deep  dis- 
tinct strokes  of  Big  Tom  striking  the  nine 
o'clock  curfew  in  signal  that  the  gates  were 
shutting,  is  yet  vivid. 

With  us,  that  night,  walked  heroes  of  the 
past  and  present.  Queen's  College  calls 
John  Wycliffe  and  the  Black  Prince  her  sons. 
Oriel  claims  Sir  Thomas  More,  Matthew 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING       77 

Arnold  and  Cecil  Rhodes.  Addison  was  at 
Magdalen,  at  which  there  are  no  finer  clois- 
ters in  all  England,  Shelley  belonged  to  Uni- 
versity— founded  by  King  Alfred — Corpus 
Christi  held  Keble  for  a  time,  while  Christ 
Church  gave  Great  Britain  three  premiers  in 
succession — Gladstone,  Lord  Salisbury  and 
Lord  Roseberry;  the  Wesleys  too,  were 
members  of  the  same  college.  Pembroke 
claims  Dr.  Johnson,  while  Balliol  dating  back 
to  1282  and  disputing  precedence  as  to  age 
with  Merton,  is  associated  with  the  names  of 
Browning  and  still  more  recent  famous  men. 
Milner  and  Curzon.  Cardinal  Newman 
once  walked  the  lawns  of  Trinity.  Froude 
was  at  Exeter.  Great  names  too,  are  on  the 
roll  of  Jesus  (the  first  college  founded  since 
the  Reformation),  but  they  are  mostly 
Welsh.  Many  of  these  colleges  are  espe- 
cially for  certain  nationalities,  though  they 
are,  of  course,  open  to  the  world. 

Some  have  quaint  customs,  the  origin  of 
which  have  been  lost  in  antiquity.  For  in- 
stance on  New  Year's  Day  at  Queen's  the 


78        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

bursar  presents  every  member  and  guest  with 
a  needle  and  thread,  saying,  as  he  does  so, 
'  Take  this  and  be  thrifty."  No  one  knows 
why  he  does  it!  And  if  you  went  to  Mag- 
dalen at  five  o'clock  on  May  morning,  you 
would  find  the  whole  surpliced  choir  on  the 
top  of  the  tower,  singing  a  Latin  hymn  to 
the  Holy  Trinity! 

I  suppose  it  is  the  memories  and  past  of 
Oxford  that  make  it  so  unique.  Yet  even 
without  these  it  would  be  a  place  apart.  It 
was  at  the  exquisite  church  of  St.  Mary 
the  Virgin  that  Cranmer,  Ridley  and  Lati- 
mer  were  cited  to  appear  for  disputation  with 
the  learned  doctors  of  Oxford,  and  here  too, 
a  year  later,  that  Cranmer  was  brought  to 
publicly  recant  his  errors.  Nearby  the  tragic 
scene  of  martyrdom  was  enacted.  There  is  a 
memorial  raised  in  commemoration  of  the 
three  who  suffered  at  the  stake.  But  Oxford 
is  so  rich  in  historic  memories,  dating  from 
the  loth  century,  that  there  is  no  end  to  them. 
It  was  in  Beaumont  Street  that  Richard 
Coeur-de-Lion  was  born.  Courts  and  camps 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        79 

have  held  their  sway  in  Oxford.  It  was  here 
that  Charles  the  Second  summoned  the  Third 
Shorter  Parliament  at  the  time  that  the  Uni- 
versity melted  down  its  plate  to  help  advance 
h;s  cause. 

But,  when  the  memories  of  exquisite 
chapels,  of  great  halls,  huge  kitchens  and 
wonderful  views  of  towers  and  domes,  seen 
from  the  top  of  the  Radcliffe  Camera  and 
the  Sheldonian  Theatre,  have  faded  from  our 
minds,  I  think  we  shall  always  remember  the 
glory  of  Nuneham  Woods  and  the  long  hours 
we  spent  upon  the  river  drifting  down  shady 
backwaters  under  interlacing  trees. 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

Day  excursion  to  Stratford-on-Avon $  1.50 

Entrances,  boat  hires,  etc 75 

(Other  expenses  are  included  in  the  London  week.) 

Oxford,  return  fare 2.00 

Entrance,  fares,  tips,  etc 1.65 

Rooms  and  breakfasts  at  three  shillings  six  pence 

per  night 2.62 

Dinners,  lunches  and  general  extravagances 2.63 

$11.15 


CHAPTER  IX 

•ENGLISH  WATERING  PLACES— THE  CHARMS  OF  BRIGHTON 
RIVAL  CHARMS  OF  HOVE,  ROTTINGDEAN,  WORTHING  AND 
NEWHAVEN — CYCLING  EXCURSIONS  IN  LONDON-BY-THE- 
SEA — THE  PAVILION  AND  MEMORIES  OF  GEORGE  THE 
FOURTH — MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES. 

IT  is  time  for  a  change  of  venue.  That  we 
decided  some  three  or  four  days  back  and  im- 
mediately determined  that  a  week  at  an  Eng- 
lish watering  place  was  all  that  was  required 
to  revive  our  fading  enthusiasm.  In  truth 
we  are  somewhat  blase,  a  state  of  feeling  en- 
gendered by  a  surfeit  of  what  we  had  longed 
for  all  our  lives — travel  and  Europe. 

In  order  to  give  a  touch  of  exciting  uncer- 
tainty to  our  movements  Comrade  and  I 
wrote  the  names  of  various  possible  places 
upon  slips  of  paper — Folkestone,  Margate, 
Deal,  Scarborough,  Brighton,  Eastbourne 
and  Hastings,  then  drew  one  from  the 
crumpled  pile,  and  so,  according  to  the  decree 
of  fate,  are  now  en  route  for  Brighton. 

Our  train  is  running  through  an  aggravat- 
80 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        81 

ing  series  of  tunnels.  Between  them  we 
catch  glimpses  of  typically  English  scenery 
— mile  after  mile  of  gently  undulating  lands 
(which  irresistibly  remind  one  of  the  lovely 
curves  seen  in  some  finely  sculptured  statue 
of  a  beautiful  woman)  all  divided  up  into  the 
ridiculous,  pocket-handkerchief-like,  hedged, 
fields,  in  which  golden  grain  and  wild  flowers 
alternate  with  the  greenest  of  grassy  pad- 
docks. 

Before  we  left  London  we  had  gathered 
particulars  about  our  journey  to  Belgium, 
where  we  purposed  going  next,  and  had 
packed  in  such  a  manner  that  the  necessary 
clothes  could  be  collected  in  a  short  hour. 
Our  landlady  readily  consented  to  house  our 
reserve  trunks  and  to  permit  us  to  come 
there  to  repack  when  we  offered  to  pay  a 
shilling  for  the  privilege  and  promised  to 
return  to  her,  should  she  have  a  vacancy, 
when  we  came  back  from  the  Continent. 
This  point  being  arranged  we  set  off  with  a 
light  heart. 

There  is  little  difficulty  in  lodging  yourself 


82        How  TO  VISIT   EUROPE 

in  this  "Queen  of  Watering  Places"  or 
"  London-by-the-Sea  "  as  Brighton  is  var- 
iously called.  Three  parts  of  it  consist  of 
"private  boarding  establishments,"  hotels 
and  houses  offering  furnished  apartments. 
Walk  down  any  street,  ride  up  any  road,  and 
scores  of  placards  will  jump  at  your  eyes. 
Hotel  rates  are  anything  from  six  shillings, 
and  sixpence  a  day  up.  Boarding-houses  be- 
gin at  a  pound  a  week  and  are  good  at 
twenty-five  shillings  and  thirty  shillings.  Of 
course  the  scale  of  charges  decreases  as  the 
distance  from  the  sea  increases. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  take  a  car  down  the 
Grand  Parade  to  the  Front,  walk  along  it  a 
little  way,  then  up  the  side  streets  at  ran- 
dom. It  is  useless  giving  direct  addresses; 
the  population  is  too  floating.  Current  ad- 
vertisements are  to  be  seen  in  both  London 
and  Brighton  papers  and  these  are  the  best 
guides  for  those  who  want  certainty. 
Others  can  do  as  we  did  and  go  untram- 
melled by  advance  arrangements.  Luck  al- 
ways befriends  the  venturesome.  The  Old 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        83 

Steine,  Marine  Parade,  Montpelier  Road, 
Regency  Square  and  Holland  Road  are  all 
happy  hunting  grounds  for  would-be 
boarders  and  those  who  seek  rooms.  For 
the  benefit  of  people  who  prefer  hotels  I 
may  say  that  the  Unicorn  of  North  St.  with 
a  tariff  of  six  shillings  and  sixpence  is  about 
the  least  expensive;  the  Metropole  is  at  the 
other  end  of  the  scale. 

A  week  will  vanish  in  Brighton  as  do  the 
first  days  in  London.  For  amusements,  in 
addition  to  ordinary  theatrical  and  musical 
attractions  there  are  concerts  on  the  piers, 
the  admission  fees  to  which  are  two  or  four 
pence  according  to  how  near  the  music  you 
wish  to  go.  The  gaily  lighted,  festooned 
jetties,  duplicated  in  the  shimmering  water, 
look  like  fairyland  from  the  shore.  Then 
there  are  diverse  shows,  bicycle  polo,  per- 
forming dogs,  ventriloquists,  fortune  tellers 
lightning  artists  and  a  perpetually  changing 
programme  of  dangerous  events,  such  as 
high  diving,  water  riding,  and  kindred 
shows.  There  are  concerts  again  in 


84        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

the  great  Dome  and  in  the  Pavilion 
Grounds  and  here  nearly  all  Brighton  as- 
sembles, on  summer  nights,  to  sit  in  the  gay 
circle  of  light  near  the  decorated  band  stand, 
or  wander  up  and  down  the  shady  paths, 
where  colored  lights  glimmer  from  the  thick 
foliage  of  the  trees  looking  like  gorgeous 
glow-worms. 

On  Sundays  some  of  England's  best  known 
preachers  are  always  to  be  heard  in  Brigh- 
ton, and  after  church  it  is  de  rigeur  to  walk 
on  "  The  Lawns  "  where  frock-coated,  tall 
hatted  men  are  the  escorts  of  visions  of 
loveliness  in  lace  and  billowy  silk  robes  of 
every  imaginable  hue.  The  dainty  parasols 
shade  complexions  that  are  the  envy  of  those 
who  have  spent  the  morning  in  a  motor  boat  I 

The  Front  itself  offers  a  sight  that  rivals 
any  continental  watering  place.  It  stretches 
out,  perfectly  paved,  for  a  distance  of  five 
good  miles.  On  the  one  side  is  the  chang- 
ing sea,  on  the  other  fine  residences  and  great 
hotels.  Landaus,  motors,  donkey  carriages 
and  cyclists,  pass  in  a  kalidescopic  picture. 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        85 

Pedestrians  throng  the  side  walks,  stand  in 
gay  groups  around  luxurious  bath  chairs,  or 
flock  like  chattering  children  about  the 
patient  little  donkeys  waiting  for  hire. 

Far  off  in  the  distance  is  the  waving 
line  of  the  Downs  (which  should  rather 
be  called  "tips")  whereon  were  Roman 
camps  in  days  gone  by.  Turn,  and  behind 
you  is  a  jagged  line  of  cliffs  stretching  to 
Newhaven  and  beyond.  And  on  the  danc- 
ing sea  are  boats  of  every  description,  pos- 
sibly warships  and  torpedo  destroyers,  cer- 
tainly yachts,  excursion  steamers,  motor 
launches,  and  scores  of  fishing  and  row 
boats.  Beneath  you,  on  the  sands,  are  gay 
bathing  houses  with  horses  to  draw  them 
into  deep  water,  for  here  only  children  bathe 
from  the  beach.  Adults  hire  a  "  machine  " 
or  dive  from  the  pier  at  certain  hours.  Now 
climb  down  the  steps  or  sloping  pathway  past 
the  fishermen  mending  their  nets  and  you 
will  get  a  surprise.  Built  in  under  the  front, 
like  so  many  caves,  are  the  "  Arches  "  and  in 
these  are  some  of  the  quaintest  little  homes 


86        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

imaginable.  They  open  direct  upon  and 
level  with  the  beach,  some  are  inhabited  by 
fisherfolk,  others  are  the  dainty  holiday 
nooks  of  artists,  bright  with  chintz,  brass  and 
Japansese  umbrellas  and  bric-a-brac. 

"  If  I  lived  in  Brighton  I  would  contrive 
to  get  located  in  the  Arches,"  decided  Com- 
rade as  we  climbed  to  the  parade  and  set 
off  in  quest  of  bicycles  to  carry  us  to  the 
Devil's  Dyke.  And  what  a  glorious  ride  we 
had!  Up  hill  some  700  feet,  in  a  series  of 
gentle  gradients,  to  our  objective,  for  the 
most  part  between  yellow  corn  fields,  and 
when  we  had  scrambled  to  our  hearts  con- 
tent in  the  extraordinary  excavation,  cut,  so 
says  tradition,  by  his  most  Satanic  Majesty, 
in  order  to  flood  Sussex  (is  not  the  mark  of 
his  shovel  to  be  seen  at  the  bottom?)  a 
glorious  free  wheel  flight  the  whole  distance 
back  to  Brighton.  We  never  put  foot  to 
pedal  until  we  reached  the  crowded  streets! 

Another  morning  was  spent  in  the  "  Old 
Lanes,'7  those  reminders  of  what  Brighton 
was  when  as  a  "  fishing  village  "  it  captivated 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        87 

the  fancy  of  George  IV,  then  Prince  of 
Wales,  and  enticed  him  to  build  the  Pavil- 
ion, that  unique,  ornate,  eastern-like  pagoda 
which  cost  somewhere  near  a  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds  for  its  erection  alone,  and  as 
much  more  for  its  equipment.  The  chandelier 
in  the  gorgeous  banqueting  hall  is  the  pride 
of  the  place.  It  is  an  immense  shimmering 
pyramid  of  cut  glass  lustres  suspended  from 
the  domed  roof  by  the  claws  of  a  gigantic 
golden  dragon,  six  other  dragons  hold  out 
shimmering  water  lilies,  from  the  hearts  of 
which  gleam  electric  lights.  The  extraor- 
dinary thing  was  the  joy  of  King  George's 
heart  but  after  his  death  it  was  hidden  away 
for  years,  owing  to  a  dream  of  Queen  Ade- 
laide's in  which  her  royal  highness  imagined 
that  she  saw  it  fall  and  crush  her  attend- 
ants! The  dream  so  affected  her  nerves 
that  King  William  consented  to  have  it  taken 
down.  The  chandelier  in  the  Dome  is  even 
larger,  and  is  believed  to  be  the  biggest  in 
the  world,  being  six  feet  in  diameter  and 
containing  over  200  lights.  It  is  curious 


88        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

to  remember  that  the  magnificent  building, 
with  its  arcades  of  Moorish  arches,  was  once 
a  stable. 

Another  morning,  after  a  few  hours  spent 
among  that  artistically  arranged  collection  of 
British  Birds  in  the  Booth  Museum  we 
rambled  afar  beginning  by  taking  the 
motor  car  to  the  Black  Cliffs  and  walking 
thence  to  Rottingdean.  Rottingdean  is  a 
charming  old  fashioned  little  fishing  village. 
In  it  we  sought  out  the  house  where  Rudyard 
Kipling  once  made  his  home  with  Sir.  E. 
Burne  Jones  for  his  neighbour.  Then  we 
wandered  onward  over  the  deceptive  Downs 
that  always  lead  you  to  believe  that  when 
you  have  breasted  the  next  rise  you  will  see 
far  beyond,  until  we  came  to  Newhaven. 
There,  rejoicing  in  the  changing  colours  of 
sea  and  sky  as  seen  against  the  steep  white 
cliffs,  we  caught  the  "  Brighton  Queen  "  back. 

Such  boating  trips  are  a  feature  of  the 
place.  You  can  go  as  far  afield  as  Boulogne 
and  back  for  eight  shillings  or  so,  or  spend 
the  day  on  the  Isle  of  Wight  for  half  as 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        89 

much.  Most  of  the  longer  excursions,  such 
as  to  Southampton,  or  Dover,  average  four 
shillings  each,  shorter  trips,  to  nearby  resorts 
or  to  view  the  channel  traffic,  can  be  had  for 
6d  or  9d  return  and  a  more  enjoyable  way 
of  spending  a  warm  morning  or  evening  can 
hardly  be  found. 

Those  who  like  sailing  can  indulge  in  it 
for  a  shilling  an  hour  up.  Bathing  begins  at 
sixpence  for  half  an  hour's  use  of  a  "  ma- 
chine." Then  there  are  the  parks,  offering 
tennis,  and  the  spectacle  of  that  most  exciting 
of  all  exciting  and  picturesque  games,  polo. 
The  seats  of  various  noblemen,  too,  (most 
of  which  can  be  viewed)  are  within  driving 
distance.  Arundel  Castle,  the  chief  abode 
of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  is  only  22  miles  off 
by  rail.  Goodwood  itself  is  close,  and  at 
Cowfold  there  is  a  magnificent  Carthusian 
Monastery  to  which,  however  men  only  are 
accorded  entrance.  Taking  it  all  in  all 
Brighton  cannot  be  called  expensive,  despite 
its  character. 


90        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

One  week's  board  and  lodging $  7.50 

Fare  from  London  and  return,  boats,  cars,  etc 6.70 

Bathing,  concerts,  amusements  and  personal  in- 
cidentals       340 

$17.60 


CHAPTER  X 

BELGIUM  AND  How  TO  GET  THERE — OSTEND,  ITS  FASCI- 
NATION AND  THE  SHARP  CONTRAST  OF  BRUGES  AND 
GHENT — NAMUR,  DINANT,  THE  WOODS  AND  RIVERS  OF 
THE  ARDENNES — THE  FAMOUS  SUBTERRANEAN  RIVER 
AND  GROTTO  DE  HAN — AN  UNEXPECTED  VENTURE  INTO 
THE  BOWELS  OF  THE  EARTH — MEMORANDUM  OF  Ex- 

PENSES. 

FARES  to  Ostend  vary  amazingly.  You  can 
pay  anything  from  ten  shillings  to  forty  shil- 
lings for  first  class  tickets  of  the  same  dura- 
tion of  time,  according  to  the  line  you  select. 
True  to  determination  we  chose  the  cheap- 
est route,  but,  as  there  was  only  a  fractional 
difference  between  the  rates  for  first  and  sec- 
ond-class tickets,  took  the  former.  For  eleven 
shillings  and  sixpence  the  General  Steam 
Navigation  Company  undertook  to  carry  us 
on  the  "  Alouette "  from  St.  Katherine's 
Wharf,  near  the  Tower,  direct  to  Ostend. 
We  might  return  by  the  same  route  any 
Thursday  or  Saturday  and  could  stay  abroad 
two  months  if  we  chose  I  The  steamers  of 
91 


92        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

this  line  depart  at  nine  in  the  morning,  so, 
rather  than  rush  the  matter,  we  returned  to 
town  on  the  previous  day  and  put  up  at  our 
old  lodging,  repacked  in  a  leisurely  manner 
and  went  to  St.  Katharine's  Wharf,  by  un- 
derground and  omnibus,  directly  after  an 
early  breakfast  upon  the  following  morning. 

Perhaps,  in  rough  weather,  the  "  Al- 
ouette  "  might  not  be  very  enticing,  but  those 
who  have  passed  days  upon  the  great  oceans 
need  fear  neither  the  English  channel  nor  the 
North  Sea.  Our  crossing  proved  a  mill- 
pond-like  excursion  and  we  were  glad  that 
we  had  made  a  provision  contract  with  the 
steward.  Three  shillings  and  sixpence  a 
head  covered  the  cost  of  all  meals  eaten  en 
route. 

Ostend  is  fair  to  see  indeed  when  one  ar- 
rives, as  we  did,  after  night-fall.  Possibly 
the  "  Digue  "  as  the  water  front  is  here 
called,  is  even  more  attractive  in  the  day 
time.  The  rearing  white  walls,  green  shut- 
tered windows,  and  those  oddest  of  daintily 
equipped  balconies  opening  from  the  charm- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        93 

ing  villas,  doubtless  need  the  brilliant  sun- 
light to  show  them  to  the  best  advantage. 
But  we  were  fascinated  by  glimpses  of  shops 
and  queer  looking  streets,  caught  as  we  fol- 
lowed the  uniformed  man,  who  had  tri- 
umphed over  all  the  others  and  carried  us 
off  to  his  hotel,  rescuing  us  from  the  out- 
stretched hands  of  many  porters  by  the  power 
of  his  fluent,  if  imperfect,  English. 

It  is  well  to  demand  the  price  for  a  night's 
lodging  and  then  to  close  with  the  most 
obliging  man.  The  names  of  the  hostelries 
are  legion,  and,  except  for  those  on  the  fash- 
ionable Digue,  are  much  of  a  muchness  in 
their  terms — Perhaps  the  Hotel  Metropole, 
14  Place  d'Armes,  is  the  least  expensive — 
everything  included  for  six  francs  a  day. 
The  Hotel  Grand  et  d' Albion  and  the  Grand 
Hotel  Leopold  n  are  in  capital  positions 
if  the  Casino  be  one  of  the  chief  objects  of 
your  visit.  Eight  to  ten  francs  a  day  would 
pay  the  bill,  or  three  francs  for  room,  light 
and  attendance.  Apartments,  are,  of 
course,  infinitely  cheaper.  Those  facing  the 


94        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

sea  are  the  most  expensive.  In  the  various 
streets  leading  out  of  the  Place  d'Armes 
(wherein  the  markets  are  held)  scores  of 
houses  can  be  found  in  which  excellent  ac- 
commodation can  be  had  for  a  couple  of 
francs  a  night.  Rooms  taken  by  the  week 
or  month  will  prove  yet  cheaper.  But  if  a 
week  or  so  be  all  that  can  be  spared  for 
Belgium  a  few  days  must  suffice  for  Ostend. 
Be  sure  to  do  one  thing,  find  your  way  to 
the  Oyster  Parks  and  taste  oysters  as  you 
will  never  have  tasted  them  before — they 
will  be  taken  up  from  the  beds  before  your 
eyes! 

Ostend  is  somewhat  Brightonian  with  the 
added  attraction  or  oddness  given  by  the 
foreign  element  and  innumerable  fetes. 
There  is  a  splendid  beach,  as  at  Trouville, 
and  a  noble  promenade  upon  which  is  the 
chalet  of  the  King  of  the  Belgians.  Royalty 
is  frequently  seen  among  the  gay  groups  on 
the  Digue.  Then  the  tile-fagaded,  glittering 
Kursaal  is  a  great  attraction.  It  holds  capi- 
tal reading-rooms,  and  splendid  concert 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        95 

halls  and  offices.  Gorgeous  balls  are  given 
here  for  the  amusement  of  those  who  dance. 
And  then  there  is  the  attraction  of  the  gam- 
bling reserved  for  members  of  the  "  Private 
Club,"  in  accordance  with  the  restrictions  of 
the  law  of  the  land.  The  races  of  August 
are  famous,  and  attract  thousands  of  peo- 
ple of  every  nationality.  And,  if  by 
chance,  you  get  into  difficulty,  there  is  the 
polyglot  inquiry  office  at  No.  13  Avenue 
Charles  Janssens — What  more  can  one  de- 
mand of  Ostend? 

It  is  a  curious  change  to  make  in  half  an 
hour — that  from  modern  Ostend,  a  watering 
place  of  laughter  and  mirth,  to  the  old  world 
city  of  Bruges,  oftentimes  called  the  "  Ven- 
ice of  Belgium." 

In  the  height  of  its  splendour  in  the  I4th 
and  1 6th  centuries  Bruges  had  a  population 
of  200,000.  Now  it  may  reach  a  tenth  of 
that  figure.  Grass  grows  in  the  main  streets 
today,  for  the  trend  of  commerce  has  gone 
in  other  directions  since  the  Zwin,  a  small 


96        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

channel  leading  to  the  North  Sea,  silted  up, 
(despite  the  struggles  of  the  citizens  against 
the  engulfing  sand)  and  so  bereft  Bruges  of 
its  title  of  "  a  sea  port." 

Perhaps  no  city  in  all  Belgium  possesses 
more  memorials  of  the  past  than  Bruges- 
la-Morte,  and,  as  we  stood  on  the  mossy 
borders  of  the  Lac  d'  Amour,  enchanted 
with  the  clearness  of  the  spires  and  steeples 
reflected  in  the  clear  water,  and  remembered 
the  old  gateways  dating  away  back  to  the 
fourteenth  century,  we  asked  ourselves  how 
could  we  bear  to  leave  it  as  soon  as  we  had 
planned  I  What  could  be  more  charming 
than  this  "  dead  city  "  of  canals,  red-roofed, 
mossy  walled  houses,  the  magnificent  Gothic 
Hotel  de  Ville  (the  ancient  palace  of  the 
Counts  of  Flanders),  to  say  nothing  of  the 
churches  and  the  Catherdal  de  St.  Sauveur's 
dating  back,  so  says  tradition,  even  to  646 
A.  D !  And  then  the  costumes  of  the  people, 
the  gen  d'Armes  and  the  peasants  accom- 
panying the  carts  drawn  by  powerful  dogs — 
and  the  lace  makers  at  work  in  the  narrow 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING        97 

streets!  The  Belfry  alone  is  worth  the 
journey  to  Bruges.  We  thought  so  when 
we  first  came  upon  it  in  the  market  place,  we 
said  so  again,  when  we  had  climbed  the  tor- 
tuous spiral  stairway  to  revel  in  the  glorious 
view  from  the  top,  and  we  were  positive  of 
it,  when  we  first  heard  its  glorious  chime  of 
bells  some  of  which  date  from  1299.  Had 
not  Longfellow  lain  awake  a  whole  night  to 
listen  to  their  rich  music? 

The  hotels  of  Bruges  send  agents  to  the 
station;  multiplicity  alone  makes  decision 
difficult.  We  ignored  them  all  and  put  up 
instead  in  rooms  over  a  bric-a-brac  shop 
(Restaux5)  opposite  to  the  cathedral,  and 
found  ou-r  meals  in  the  curious  restaurants 
of  the  Grand  Place  or  "  Grootemarket "  as 
it  is  often  called,  for  Flemish  is  the  language 
of  the  peasants  though  the  majority  speak 
French  as  well.  Those  who  prefer  to  live 
"  en  pension "  could  hardly  find  a  better 
than  that  of  Mme  Barisele,  7-9  Place  St. 
Giles. 

So  much  was  there  to  see  in  Bruges  that  it 


98        How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

was  not  until  we  were  actually  in  the  train 
on  the  way  to  Ghent  that  Comrade  suddenly 
grasped  my  arm,  exclaiming  in  dismay  that 
we  had  forgotten  to  seek  out  that  famous 
religious  colony  on  the  Beguinage,  and,  worse 
still,  the  pictures  of  Hans  Memling!  And 
then! — Ghent  proved  to  lack  the  charm  of 
Bruges,  though  it  is  a  city  of  islands — 
twenty-six  of  them,  I  believe,  linked  together 
by  eighty  odd  bridges.  It  is  too  prosper- 
ous! 

It  would  have  been  only  natural  to  have 
stopped  in  Brussels  when  we  came  to  it,  but 
an  eagerness  to  see  the  Ardennes  had  seized 
us,  so  Brussels,  like  Antwerp,  was  postponed 
until  our  return  and  we  made  straight  on  for 
Namur,  where,  after  a  day's  exploration  of 
the  place  and  citadel  we  took  a  boat  down 
the  Meuse  towards  Dinant  and  spent  one  of 
the  most  perfect  mornings  of  our  tour  on 
the  river  amid  an  ever  changing  panorama 
of  loveliness. 

Dinant  will  always  remain  a  place  apart 
in  my  memory.  Our  first  morning  glimpse 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING       99 

of  it  happened  to  be  upon  a  market  day  when 
the  cobbles  resounded  to  the  clatter  of 
wooden  clogs,  and  peasants,  sheltering  them- 
selves and  their  wares  under  gigantic  um- 
brellas, camped  in  the  market  place  by  the 
cathedral,  under  the  frowning  rock,  on  which 
is  built  a  citadel  in  which  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon  once  dwelt.  Dinant  is  a  capital  centre 
from  which  to  explore  the  valleys  of  the 
Ardennes,  and  excellent  little  steamboats  ply 
the  rivers  carrying  passengers  for  a  very 
few  pence.  One  morning  we  went  to  Has- 
tiere,  another  we  spent  in  the  forest  of 
Ardenne,  lunching  at  what  was  once  the 
Chateau  Royal ;  then  dreamed  sweet  dreams 
in  the  solitudes  of  the  woods  we  had  first 
learnt  to  know  in  the  pages  of  "As  You 
Like  It." 

Castles  and  ruins  appear  as  if  by  magic  in 
the  valleys  of  both  the  Lesse  and  Meuse. 
Small  wonder  that  they  are  the  haunts  of 
artists.  Then,  too,  the  whole  locality  is 
rich  in  history,  Gauls,  Belgae,  Romans, 
Franks,  Vandals,  Huns,  and  Normans,  have 


ioo      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

fought  and  lived  here^,   !and  all  have  left 
traces  behind  them. 

We  had  not  originally  planned  to  visit 
the  Grottos  of  Hans,  but  someone  in  a  rail- 
way carriage  gave  Comrade  such  a  descrip- 
tion of  them  that  we  were  obliged  to  decide 
that  no  Belgian  trip  would  be  complete  un- 
less the  caves  were  included.  Accordingly 
we  followed  local  directions  and  set  out  for 
the  short  journey  to  Eprave,  there  joined  a 
group  of  sightseers,  mounted  coaches  and 
drove  to  Jemelle,  where  we  descended  into 
the  bowels  of  the  earth,  two  among  the  100,- 
ooo  visitors  who  come  each  year  to  see  the 
wonders  of  alabaster  halls  and  subterranean 
rivers,  wherein  live  eyeless  fish.  I  wonder 
if  anything  can  surpass  the  weirdness  of  the 
scene  at  the  entrance  to  the  range  of  moun- 
tains? As  one  stands  shivering  in  the  cold 
blast  that  blows  from  the  catacombs,  out 
come  swarming  children — queer  little  silent 
goblins  from  the  nether  world  they  seem, 
as  you  catch  glimpses  of  them  in  the  flicker- 
ing light  of  the  double-wicked  lamps  they 


ON  NEXT  .TO  ^NOTHING 

carry.  Look  before  you  in  the  darkness 
and  you  see  a  line  of  their  lights  gleaming  on 
;ahead,  look  behind,  they  are  following  you 
down  the  narrow  slippery  defiles  and  over 
grotesque  boulders.  Some  of  the  galleries 
are  of  noble  proportions — American  sky- 
scrapers could  be  put  inside  them — others 
are  gleaming  caves  of  fairy  land.  It  is  two 
hours,  incredible  as  though  it  may  seem, 
from  the  time  you  enter  until  you  embark  on 
the  subterranean  river  and  the  great  detona- 
tion echoes  through  the  vast  blackness  be- 
hind you.  Then,  propelled  by  strong  arms, 
the  boats  shoot  forward,  and  the  outer 
world  gleams  like  a  jewel  through  the  slit- 
like  exit  by  which  you  scramble  out,  trebly 
realizing  the  beauty  of  the  picture  before  you 
in  contrast  with  the  caverns  behind. 

And  now  for  the  cost  of  it  all.  Belgian 
railway  tickets  can  be  had  at  wonderfully 
cheap  rates.  A  season  ticket  for  five  days 
entitles  you  to  go  where  you  will  and  as 
often  as  you  like,  over  the  3,000  miles  of 
lines.  A  third-class  ticket  (wooden-seated 


How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

carriages)  comes  to  nine  shillings  and  nine 
pence;  a  second,  to  seventeen  shillings  and  a 
penny.  Others,  lasting  double  the  time,  are 
twice  the  price.  We,  being  uncertain  as  to 
the  length  of  time  we  meant  to  spend,  did 
not  take  a  season,  and  spent  about  as  much 
as  if  we  had.  For  a  limited  holiday  such 
tickets  are  very  convenient.  They  can  be 
obtained  at  the  Belgian  Railway  station 
in  Ostend;  in  addition  to  the  price  a 
deposit  of  four  shillings  is  required,  but 
this  will  be  refunded  when  you  give  up  your 
ticket  upon  its  expiration.  A  portrait  of 
yourself  (about  an  inch  and  a  half  square), 
will  also  be  necessary.  If  you  have  not  one 
a  snap-shot  will  be  taken  for  a  franc  by 
Monsieur  Le  Bon,  36  Boulevard  van  Ise- 
ghem,  Ostend.  He  will  give  you  four  copies 
for  this  munificent  sum! 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

Return  ticket,  first  class,  London  to  Ostend 
and  back  $  2.87 

London  lodging,  one  night,  breakfast  and  fares, 
three  shillings  and  sixpence 87 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      [103 

Meals  on  board  (three  shillings  and  six  pence  per 
head  inclusive)  87 

Ostend  hotel  (two  nights,  with  breakfasts)  seven 

francs  eighty 1.62 

Rooms  in  Bruges  (three  nights  six  francs  inclu- 
sive)    1.25 

Namur  (one  night  with  breakfast),  four  francs 
twenty  87 

Dinant  (three  nights)  six  francs 1.25 

Living  expenses,  tips,  etc 9.88 

Railway  and  boatfares  (sometimes  second  class, 
sometimes  third)  and  eight  francs  entrance  fee 

to  Grottos  de  Han 4.00 

Incidentals   for  return..                           i.oo 


$24.48 

NOTE. — These  railway  fares  include  the  expense  of 
the  journeys  to  Waterloo,  Brussels  and  Antwerp,  to- 
together  with  the  return  to  Ostend. 


CHAPTER  XI 

BRUSSELS — THE  FIELD  OF  WATERLOO  WITH  ITS  MONU- 
MENT AND  HISTORIC  FARMS  AND  CHATEAUX — ANT- 
WERP, A  HINT  OF  ITS  GLORIES  AND  A  WARNING  TO 
OTHERS  TO  STAY  LONGER  THAN  WE  DID,  WITH  METH- 
ODS OF  LODGING  ONE'S  SELF  COMFORTABLY  (WITHOUT 
UNDUE  EXPENSE)  IN  A  FOREIGN  CITY— MEMORANDUM 
OF  EXPENSES. 

THE  worst  of  Brussels  is  that  the  Belgians 
expect  you  to  stay  too  long  in  it.  A  week  is 
usually  enough  for  any  continental  town, 
especially  when  time  is  at  a  premium,  but  it 
is  impossible  to  obtain  furnished  rooms  in 
Brussels  for  less  than  a  fortnight.  Of 
course  there  are  hotels  at  all  prices  from 
four  shillings  a  day  inclusive,  and  likewise 
pensions,  as  they  call  boarding-houses  here. 
That  kept  by  Madame  Doltoure,  25  Rue  de 
Propiers,  is  well  spoken  of  by  everybody, 
as  is  also  Madame  Veve's  62  Rue  Veldt  (the 
charge  at  each  is  four  shillings  a  day)  but 
such  places  tie  one  more  or  less. 

Comrade  and  I  followed  our  usual  plan, 
104 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING       105 

left  our  suitcases  at  the  railway  station  and 
wandered  off  to  seek  a  resting  place.  First 
of  all  we  purchased  a  map  of  the  town  and 
asked  a  friendly  policeman  to  locate  the 
spot  on  which  we  stood. 

Preferring  to  live  in  the  best  quarter,  and 
having  a  fancy  for  royalties,  we  wended 
our  way  towards  the  palace. 

We  walked  through  the  gardens,  up  the 
hill  along  by  the  car  route,  then  turned  out 
for  lunch  and  a  rest  when  we  saw  an  inter- 
esting looking  cafe.  The  interest  of  the 
stage-like  continental  life  engrossed  us,  but 
at  length  we  remembered  we  were  homeless, 
so  tore  ourselves  away  and  strolled  up  and 
down  the  streets  radiating  from  the  Palace. 
It  was  not  long  before  we  found  what  we 
wanted.  The  contingent  locality  seems  set 
apart  for  the  express  lodgment  of  students 
and  Americans  coming  to  study  in  Brussels. 

We  finally  decided  upon  a  tiny  flat  in  a 
great  apartment  building  at  the  juncture  of 
three  roads  and  a  stone's  throw  from  the 
car.  It  was  also  within  walking  distance  of 


106      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

the  Cathedral  of  Sainte  Gudule,  the  Royal 
Gardens  and  Palais  de  Justice,  while  the  tall, 
chimney-like  monument  crowning  the  flight 
of  steps  at  the  foot  of  our  street,  leading  to 
the  lower  town,  served  as  a  landmark  to  us 
from  afar.  For  our  compact  little  flat  or 
"  quartier "  as  our  landlady  called  it,  we 
paid  14  francs  a  week.  Service  is  not  pro- 
vided in  these  cases  but  we  found  it  could  al- 
ways be  obtained  for  a  franc  or  so.  Run- 
ning water  was  on  the  landing. 

Strange  music  awakened  us  next  morning 
and  we  looked  out  to  see  a  boy  sauntering 
down  the  street  playing  a  joyful  tune  on  a 
pipe.  Round  him  froliced  a  dozen  goats. 
We  flung  on  long  coats  to  cover  deficiencies. 
Comrade  caught  up  a  milk  jug  and  I  the 
camera,  then  we  fled  down  the  flagged  stairs 
to  catch  the  surprised  youth  at  the  corner. 
I  photographed  him  while  he  milked  a  goat 
straight  into  Comrade's  jug. 

The  rest  of  the  provender  was  obtained 
when  we  were  more  fully  garbed  for,  in 
Belgium,  there  are  always  "  shops  around 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      107 

the  corner."  We  had  a  breakfast  fit  for  the 
gods — eggs  (bought  ready  boiled)  fruit, 
fresh  rolls  and  coffee,  the  cost  being  about 
a  dime  apiece. 

We  tossed  a  coin  and  so  decided  that  we 
should  first  see  Brussels  itself,  rather  than 
make  an  experimental  journey  to  any  place. 
Before  we  were  content  over  a  week  had 
flown!  The  lace  shops  alone  occupy  whole 
mornings,  the  filmy  scarves,  delicate  collars, 
the  yards  of  Pointe  de  Venise,  raised  roses 
(and  winged  butterflies  ranging  in  price  from 
20  cents  upwards)  are  so  enticing,  especially 
to  those  unaccustomed  to  Belgium  prices. 

In  the  early  mornings  we  wandered  down 
the  Rue-du-Beurre-et-Fromage  or  past  the 
cathedral  to  the  market  place,  where  the  ex- 
quisite facade  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  famous 
as  it  justly  is  throughout  all  Europe,  offers 
a  splendid  background  for  the  kaleidoscopic 
scenes  in  the  market  place  in  which  the 
Flemish  peasants  assemble  to  buy  and  sell. 
They  come  clattering  over  the  stones  in 
great  wooden  clogs,  gay  costumes  and  odd 


io8      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

head-dresses,  some  laden  with  goods,  some 
driving  carts  pulled  by  dogs!  There  are 
never  failing  pictures  to  be  found  in  this 
market  place. 

We  dined  at  cafes  in  whatever  quarter  we 
chanced  to  be,  and  learnt  to  our  bewilder- 
ment that  in  Brussels  it  is  cheaper  to  order 
beer  with  a  meal  than  to  go  without  it ! 

The  wonderful  cathedral  of  Sainte  Gud- 
ule,  the  Eglise  Sainte-Marie,  or  the  other 
beautiful  churches,  the  picture  galleries  and 
museums  coaxed  us  to  them  in  the  afternoons. 
The  evenings  were  frequently  spent  in  the 
"  Biere  Jardin."  These  are  family  gather- 
ing places,  even  the  littlest  children  attend- 
ing constantly  with  their  parents.  Some  of 
these  are  open  free,  others  charge  fifty  cen- 
times to  a  franc  admission.  The  concerts 
in  these  gardens  are  famous,  for  Brussels  is 
one  of  the  music  centres  of  Europe ;  students 
from  most  distant  lands  come  here  for  in- 
struction at  the  Conservatoire. 

'*  When  these  pleasures  pall,  what  shall 
we  do?  "  asked  Comrade  one  morning  when 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      109 

we  greeted  the  comical  statues  in  the  royal 
gardens  almost  without  a  smile.  They  are 
extraordinary  productions,  artistically,  being 
the  busts  of  celebrated  men  on  shaped  ped- 
estals— at  the  base  of  these  pedestals  bare 
feet  protrude! 

I  thought  for  a  moment,  for  Brussels  is 
a  capital  centre.  Fifteen  minutes  by  train 
takes  you  to  Louvain,  the  abode  of  a  famous 
monastery,  half  an  hour,  or  a  little  more,  and 
Antwerp  (or  Anvers  as  it  is  called  here)  is 
reached.  But  I  had  a  longing  for  the  coun- 
try, so  the  field  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo  was 
selected  for  the  objective  of  our  first  ex- 
cursion. "  That  shall  be  to-morrow,"  de- 
cided Comrade. 

Our  worn,  faded  landlady  told  us  that 
the  pleasantest  way  to  go  to  Waterloo  was 
to  depart  from  the  Gare  du  Midi  and  to 
leave  the  train  at  Braine  PAlleud.  We  fol- 
lowed her  advice  to  find  ourselves  being 
scuffled  over  at  a  wayside  station  by  a  ges- 
ticulating group  of  drivers,  each  of  whom 
was  trying  to  persuade  us  to  take  his  par- 


no      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

ticular  half  franc  ride  to  the  seat  of  war. 

We  stood  bewildered,  as  did  several  other 
passengers.  Suddenly  a  capable  French 
damsel  swooped  to  our  rescue,  explaining,  in 
voluable  English,  that  all  the  commission- 
naires  were  frauds  with  lame  horses,  but  that 
she,  she  herself,  would  be  delighted  to  show 
us  what  she  could.  Only  let  us  follow  her  to 
the  carriage  she  would  select  I  We  (and 
others)  did — with  effusive  thanks — and 
found  that  she  too  was  a  paid  charioteer! 
However  it  was  a  comfortable  enough  drive 
and  she  finally  delivered  us  at  the  foot  of 
the  great  monument  at  which  200  men  had 
laboured  for  4  years.  Up  the  steps  tourists 
climb  all  day.  Every  train  brings  them 
in  carriage  loads.  They  come  from  every 
part  of  the  world.  America,  Spain,  France, 
England  and  the  Antipodes,  to  see  this  Bel- 
gian lion  upon  his  Mound,  gazing  over  the 
fields  upon  which  was  fought  one  of  the  most 
famous  battles  in  all  history. 

Guides  are  always  in  attendance  ready  to 
give  information  in  any  language,  and  if  one 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      in 

wants  their  services  they  can  be  obtained  for 
a  few  sous.  But  the  landmarks  are  made 
plain  to  the  eye  by  means  of  commemorative 
placards,  so,  tiring  of  the  crowds,  we  wan- 
dered off  by  ourselves  over  the  historic 
ground. 

It  was  June  when  Waterloo  was  fought, 
now  it  was  later  in  the  year.  In  place  of 
waving  wheat  we  saw  golden  stoops  of  grain, 
and  hedgerows  full  of  wildflowers,  fragrant 
with  clover.  Instead  of  the  roar  of  cannon 
we  heard  the  joyous  song  of  larks. 

Down  the  country  road  towards  the  vil- 
lage of  Braine  PAlleud  is  the  white-walled 
farmhouse  of  La  Haye  Sainte  which  bore 
the  brunt  of  the  struggle.  Across  the  fields 
the  Chateau  of  Hugomont  can  be  seen. 

We  rested  among  the  golden  grain,  pic- 
turing unbroken  squares  of  Highlanders  on 
the  wide  undulating  plains,  seeing  Napoleon 
and  Wellington  and  the  memorable  charge 
of  Blucher;  then  we  forgot  everything  save 
the  joy  of  life  as  we  ate  our  picnic  lunch, 
listened  to  the  birds,  gathered  great  bunches 


ii2      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

of  wildflowers  and  saw  the  white-haired 
Belgian  children  tossing  hay  in  the  farm- 
yards. 

Realisation  of  the  past  is  possible  out  in 
the  open.  When  the  little  inns  with  great 
names  are  entered  a  scoffing  spirit  rises. 
How  can  a  rusty  sword  or  cuirass  look  of 
importance  when  surrounded  by  empty  beer 
glasses?  Or  a  war-worn,  blood-stained  uni- 
form inspire  heroic  thoughts  when  it  is  dis- 
played on  a  dress-maker's  lay-figure? 

We  were  glad  to  escape  from  the  picture- 
postcard  vendors  to  the  quietude  of  the  fa- 
mous "  Alliance,"  wherein  Wellington  spent 
three  nights.  It  was  in  the  tiny,  low  ceil- 
inged  room  of  this  inn  that  the  great  Eng- 
lish general  met  Blucher  after  the  battle. 
The  Flemish  proprietress  tells  with  pride 
that  her  mother  lived  there  in  those  days 
and  saw  Napoleon.  Then,  with  awe,  she 
displays  the  marks  of  bullets  in  the  thick 
oaken  doors. 

The  place  seems  half  holy  in  the  eyes  of 
the  peasants  and  few  forget  to  genuflect  when 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      113 

they   pass  the   cross   on  the    outside   wall. 

This  old  Flemish  woman  with  her  eager 
torrent  of  French,  her  thin,  gesticulating 
arms,  her  bare  feet  in  wooden  sabots,  dates 
all  things  from  that  historic  Sunday  in  June 
1815.  To  those  who  have  seen  her  home, 
and  the  gigantic  monument  outlined  against 
the  brilliant  background  of  the  sky,  Water- 
loo will  be  real — never  more  only  an  incident 
in  a  book  of  history. 

Comrade  and  I  turned  our  backs  on 
Braine  1'Alleud  wondering  if  another  day  in 
all  our  journey  could  be  more  fascinating. 
And  now  the  flying  hours  in  Antwerp  have 
almost  surpassed  it.  After  all,  isn't  that 
glorious  city  the  crowning  point  of  a  Belgian 
tour?  What  pictures  she  holds  in  her  gall- 
eries !  The  notes  of  the  organ  in  the  cathe- 
dral still  thrill  me — the  carved  pulpit  too,  is 
a  pulpit  differing  from  all  others.  And  then 
the  strange  blending  of  ancient  and  modern 
in  the  busy  streets  and  quays — and  the 
houses  where  celebrities  have  lived!  I 
fought  valiantly  to  spend  a  week  in  the  place 


ii4      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

regardless  of  our  schedule — and  Comrade 
dragged  me  back  in  a  day  I 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

Rent  of  flat  (two  weeks  at  fourteen  francs  per 

week  .$  5.60 

Entrance  fees,  etc.,  say  fifteen  francs 3.00 

Sundry  car  fares,  five  francs i.oo 

Breakfasts,  averaging  sixty  centimes 1.75 

Luncheons,  averaging  one  franc 2.80 

Dinners,  etc.  (mainly  at  two  francs,  but  we  some- 
times yielded  to  temptation  and  (four  times) 
tried  the  best  restaurants  where  five  francs  was 

the  charge)   8.00 

Incidentals  and  personal  expenses 1.75 

$23.90 


CHAPTER  XII 

DARING  PROJECTS— FURTHER  AFIELD— EN  ROUTE  FOR 
THE  RIVIERA — LEAST  EXPENSIVE  AND  MOST  CONVENI- 
ENT ROUTES — NEED  OF  POLICE  NOTIFICATION — A  STOP- 
OVER AT  ROUEN,  THE  CITY  OF  CHURCHES— THE 
IRONY  OF  THE  REHABILITATION  OF  THE  "MAID  OF 
ORLEANS,"  AND  THE  HUMAN  TRAGEDY  OF  HER  LIFE — 
MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES. 

As  far  as  cost  is  concerned  it  comes  to  very 
much  the  same  whether  you  go  direct  from 
Belgium  to  Paris  or  via  London,  if  Paris 
is  not  to  be  your  final  destination  and  the 
apex  of  your  journey. 

The  French  capital  is  five  hours  journey 
by  rail  from  Ostend,  three  from  Brussels. 
In  one  case  the  advantage  of  the  Belgian 
circular  touring  ticket  is  lost,  (since  it  is 
limited)  and  in  the  other,  the  channel  must 
be  recrossed  somewhat  unnecessarily.  This, 
however,  is  offset  by  the  fact  that  by  first 
returning  to  England  more  parts  of  Belgium 
115 


ii6      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

can  be  visited  on  the  way.  Ypres,  for  in- 
stance, a  little  off  the  usual  route,  is  well 
worth  seeing.  Malins  and  Tournai  have 
charms  of  their  own.  And  when  at  Antwerp 
the  Dutch  frontier  is  only  a  short  distance 
off,  it  could  easily  be  included  in  a  broad 
sweep  of  travel. 

We,  being  elated  with  our  success  in  jour- 
neying, and  delighted  with  the  manner  in 
which  our  pocket-books  retained  their  firm- 
ness of  outline,  determined  to  venture 
further  afield.  The  Riviera  should  know 
us — we  would  enter  Italy  if  but  a  yard 
across  her  border! 

There  is  a  choice  of  diverse  routes  from 
London,  and,  as  competition  is  keen,  rates 
differ  but  slightly.  The  fare  for  a  second- 
class,  45  day  return  ticket  to  Monte  Carlo, 
the  heart  of  the  French  Riviera,  with  stop- 
over privileges  at  Paris  and  various  import- 
ant continental  cities,  is  $44.50  by  the  South 
Eastern  Chatham  R.  R.  and  this  is  a  fair 
average  rate  for  the  shorter  channel  cross- 
ings; the  lowest  is  $37.50.  The  London 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      117 

and  South  Western  Railway,  via  Southamp- 
ton and  Havre  seems  about  the  least  expen- 
sive. The  route  (that  by  Newhaven  and 
Dieppe)  advertised  as  "the  cheapest"  is  in 
reality  dearer  by  $2  or  $2.50.  This  way  is 
very  pleasant  if  a  daylight  journey  be  desired. 
For  a  night  crossing  the  Southampton-Havre 
way  is  good,  since  there  is  time  for  a  comfor- 
table night's  rest  aboard.  You  sail  at  mid- 
night and  arrive  at  seven  or  eight  o'clock 
next  morning.  Breakfast  will  be  served  on 
the  ship,  or  else  a  meal  can  be  snatched  at 
the  railway  station. 

If  you  only  want  to  go  to  Paris  the  cost 
of  the  return  ticket  from  London  by  this 
route  would  be  $10.00.  This  includes  a 
berth  in  the  general  cabin,  where  there  is 
accommodation  for  some  twenty  persons. 
Private  cabins  for  two  and  four  persons  can 
be  had  by  going  first  class.  The  difference 
in  fare  is  $1.25  per  person  each  way.  Sec- 
ond-class travellers  are  usually  the  smaller 
business  people,  teachers,  and  the  French, 
who  have  been  visiting  England. 


n8      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

It  was  when  taking  our  tickets  for  Paris 
that  we  discovered  a  reason  for  going  direct 
to  the  company  rather  than  to  a  tourist 
agency.  The  latter  will  not  reserve  sleeping 
accommodation  this  means  that  if  the  boat 
be  crowded,  a  deck  chair  and  a  rug  are  likely 
to  be  your  fate. 

My  advice  to  anyone  would  be  to  select  a 
route  that  includes  Rouen.  Whatever 
else  be  omitted  this  must  not  be.  It  sounds 
rather  trite  to  say  that  it  is  a  city  of  cathe- 
drals but  somehow  that  is  the  first  and  last 
memory  of  Rouen.  For  the  rest  it  is  a 
panorama  of  a  winding  river,  with  wooded 
slopes  beyond,  twisting  streets,  towers,  spires 
against  an  azure  sky — everything  that 
vitalises  the  word  "  charm " — that,  and 
souvenirs  of  Joan  of  Arc. 

Rouen  is  unlike  the  towns  of  Belgium  in 
that  it  caters  little  for  the  needs  of  transients 
desiring  temporary  quarters  other  than  in 
hotels.  If  there  are  rooms  or  furnished 
flats  to  be  let,  they  are  well  hidden.  This 
matters  the  less  because  the  hotels  are  good 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      119 

and  cheap,  and  the  sights  of  Rouen  are 
within  easy  reach  of  each  other. 

We  settled  ourselves  on  the  Qua!  de  la 
Bourse  where  the  h'otel  rates  average  nine 
or  ten  francs  a  day.  This  is  in  a  capital  posi- 
tion. We  were  exceedingly  comfortable 
and  our  long,  balustraded  windows  faced 
upon  the  river  up  which  passed  a  perfect 
stream  of  picturesque  vessels.  Large  ones 
starting  for  Havre  or  Paris,  sailing  ships 
bringing  valuable  cargoes  from  across  the 
sea,  and  barges  drifting  slowly  down  from 
the  interior. 

I  wonder  if  any  other  place  in  all  the 
world  holds  more  wonderful  churches  than 
Rouen?  The  Cathedral,  in  which  lies  the 
heart  of  Richard  Coeur-de-Lion,  is  a  thing 
apart,  with  its  399  statues  looking  down 
from  their  niches,  and  its  splendid  "  Butter  " 
Tower  rearing  its  height  above  the  rest  of 
the  buildings  and  so  christened  because  it 
was  built  by  the  sum  accumulated  from  per- 
mitting the  eating  of  butter  in  Lent! 
Candles  on  the  many  side  altars  look  like 
glowworms  in  the  vastness.  You  are  for- 


120      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

tunate  if  you  can  hear  a  musical  mass,  for 
such  are  famous  here.  St.  Gothard's  is  a 
glory  of  colour  with  136  wonderful  windows, 
St.  Ouen  is  surely  one  of  the  loveliest  Gothic 
chapels  ever  built,  while  St.  Maclou  seems 
more  elaborate  and  gorgeous  than  any  other, 
and  is  called  one  of  the  gems  of  France. 
It  has  taken  thousands  of  years  to  build,  and 
has  had  a  stormy  history.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  the  Hugonots  lighted  bonfires  in 
the  naves.  In  the  eighteenth,  the  revolution- 
ists used  it  as  a  manufactory  of  arms,  and 
built  a  forge  where  the  main  altar  now 
stands.  A  walk  round  the  roof  above  the 
extraordinary  gargoyles  of  any  of  these 
churches  gives  a  fine  idea  of  Rouen — but,  oh, 
the  obscurity  and  darkness  of  the  spiral 
stairways!  We  found  ourselves  beating 
vainly  against  the  stone  wall  of  that  in  the 
cathedral,  and  were  forced  to  feel  our  way 
down  again  to  ask  for  a  light.  The  cheer- 
ful custodian  obligingly  rewarded  us  with 
one  of  the  candles  intended  for  the  saints  I 
It  is  curious  to  turn  from  the  grandeur 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      121 

and  tranquillity  of  these  well  kept  churches 
to  find  St.  Laurent.  Here,  commercialism 
has  triumphed  over  religion.  Its  towers 
rear  above  small  stores — Why  was  it  sin- 
gled out  for  desecration,  we  wonder,  while 
the  others  were  saved? 

There  is  plenty  to  see  in  Rouen,  the  Palais 
de  Justice,  museum,  picture  gallery,  the 
Tower  of  the  Grosse  Horlege,  and,  within 
easy  reach  up  and  down  the  charming  stretch 
of  the  Seine,  are  the  ruins  of  abbeys  and  cas- 
tles. But  all  is  forgotten  when  once  one  real- 
ises the  story  of  Joan  of  Arc,  for  Rouen  is 
indelibly  associated  with  her  name.  The 
artist  who  placed  the  gleaming  white  statue 
of  the  Maid  in  the  gloomy  peaked  tower, 
had  strong  dramatic  instinct.  The  purity 
of  the  marble  heightens  the  effect  of 
the  dungeon  wherein  the  heroine  once  lay — 
a  prisoner.  The  bravely  truthful,  tragic 
words,  pronounced  in  the  torture  chamber 
and  now  engraved  upon  the  dun'geon  walls 
recreate  her  in  the  imagination  as  they  are 
read: 


122      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

"...  vraiment,  se  vous  me  deviez  fa'tre 
detraite  les  membres  et  faire  partir  I'ame 
hors  du  corps  se  ne  vour  diray-je  autre  chose, 
et  se  ancune  chose  vous  en  disoye-je,  appres 
si  disoye-je  tons  jours  que  vous  le  me  durees 
fait  dire  par  force" 

The  little  statues  of  the  maid  in  her  short 
skirts  help  you  to  picture  the  fair-haired  vil- 
lage child  who  went  from  Domremy  to  face 
the  Commandment  of  Vaucouleurs  and  ask 
an  escort  of  soldiers.  Her  reason?  That 
she  had  been  directed  by  God  to  go  to  the 
King,  to  fight  for  him  and  win  back  her  coun- 
try from  the  English  conquerors.  Small 
wonder  that  the  soldiers  thought  her  mad, 
and  advised  that  she  be  whipped  and  taken 
back  to  her  own  village.  But  the  "  Voices  " 
would  not  be  stilled,  and  the  girl,  working 
about  the  farm,  saw  visions  of  herself  lead- 
ing soldiers  to  victory  and  crowning  a  king 
at  Rheims.  Again  and  again  she  applied 
for  the  soldiers  in  order  that  she  might  obey 
a  heaven-sent  mandate.  And  at  last  the 
commandant  yielded,  gave  her  soldiers  and 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      123 

sent  her  to  the  king.  The  next  ordeal  was 
to  face  a  board  of  learned  men  to  convince 
them  of  her  sanity  and  the  truth  of  her  mis- 
sion. She  succeeded.  Then  the  seventeen 
year  old  girl  led  forth  an  army,  and  in  the 
ranks  princes  and  war-worn  veterans  took 
their  place.  In  three  tremendous  assaults 
she  lifted  the  siege  that  for  seven  long 
months  had  beset  Orleans,  and  by  so  doing 
won  the  title  by  which  she  is  known  to  this 
day—"  The  Maid  of  Orleans."  It  was  but 
the  beginning  of  her  victories ;  she  fought  on, 
and  triumph  succeeded  triumph,  until  in  eight 
weeks  she  broke  the  English  power  in  France 
which  had  lain  like  a  shadow  across  French 
hearts  close  on  300  years.  And  then  she 
went  to  Rheims  to  carry  out  the  last  part  of 
her  vision  and  set  the  crown  upon  the  brow 
of  France's  king. 

If  you  have  time,  go  to  Rheims;  if  not, 
stand  in  the  cathedral  here  in  Rouen  and  re- 
construct the  scene — the  king,  his  nobles  and 
soldiers,  the  visionary-eyed  child,  and  in  the 
background  the  wondering  peasants  from 


ii24      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

her  village,  a  little  deputation  headed  by  the 
father  of  Jeanne  d'Arc. 

"  What  reward  did  she  want?  "  asked  the 
king.  And  the  kneeling  girl,  ask  the  re- 
mission of  taxation  for  her  village,  and,  for 
herself,  since  her  task  was  fulfilled,  permis- 
sion to  return  to  Domremy  with  her  father. 
The  first  request  was  granted  readily  enough, 
(though  short  memoried  France  has  now 
forgotten  her  gratitude),  but  the  second  was 
laughed  to  scorn.  First,  she  must  drive  the 
English  from  Paris. 

But  Jeanne  had  looked  into  the  future  and 
her  fears  were  justified.  No  more  was  her's 
an  uninterrupted  career  of  success;  a  short 
time  later  she  found  herself  a  prisoner,  held 
to  ransom  for  $12,000. 

She  waited  in  growing  bitterness  for  al- 
most six  months.  Once  she  tried  to  escape, 
but,  her  rope  breaking,  she  failed.  At  last 
the  Bishop  of  Beauvais  paid  the  money  and 
got  possession  of  her  for  the  church,  in  order 
that  she  might  be  tried  for  witchcraft,  and 
for  the  crime  of  wearing  male  attire.  It 
was  in  this  sombre  tower  in  Rouen  that  she 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      125 

awaited  trial.  Her  judges  were  in  despair, 
no  incriminating  evidence  could  be  got  from 
her.  Then  the  bishop  from  her  own  village 
came,  and  she  told  him  of  her  "  visions  " 
and  the  "  voices  "  that  had  directed  her.  He 
betrayed  her,  judgment  was  speedy,  and  she 
was  handed  over  to  the  English  to  be  burnt 
at  the  stake  where  the  tablet  now  marks  the 
scene  of  the  tragedy.  Her  last  cry,  as  the 
flames  rose  about  her,  was  a  prayer  for  her 
country. 

Then  came  the  irony  of  it  all.  Some 
twenty-five  years  later  unpleasant  questions 
were  asked  regarding  the  validity  of  the 
position  of  a  king  who  had  been  established 
upon  the  throne  by  a  witch — hence  the  "  Re- 
habilitation of  Jeanne  d'Arc."  To-day  she 
is  classed  as  a  saint. 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 
Fare  from  London  to  the  Riviera  with  stopover 

privileges   $37-5° 

Breakfast  cab,  etc.  (en  route  to  Rouen) 60 

Hotel  at  Rouen,  two  days 3.60 

Entrance  fees,  tips,  etc 2.00 

$43.70 


CHAPTER   XIII 

IN  FRANCE—"  CONSEILS  PRATIQUE  "— HOTELS  AND  THEIR 
INQUISITORIAL  PAPERS — LATIN  QUARTER  HINTS,  STU- 
DENTS, HOSTELRIES,  CLUBS  AND  RESTAURANTS— FRENCH 

TIPPING  RULE—"  TIP  OFTEN  BUT  TIP  LITTLE,"— RULES 
REGARDING  OMNIBUSES. 

WHO  was  it  first  said  "  Good  Americans, 
when  they  die,  go  to  Paris?  "  We  are  here 
now  and  somehow  it  does  not  seem  exactly 
my  idea  of  Paradise — and  yet  Paris  has 
smiled  upon  us.  Our  arrival  was  made 
after  nightfall  when  the  city  was  a-glimmer 
with  light.  We  dined  at  a  restaurant  beside 
St.  Lazare,  then,  in  the  charge  of  a  friendly 
"  cocker "  drove  to  an  address  given  by  a 
friend,  the  Grand  Hotel  Passy  de  Passy,  10 
Rue  de  Passy.  As  we  rolled  through  the 
smooth,  broad  thoroughfares,  our  obliging 
charioteer  indicated  landmarks  previously 
known  to  us  by  name ;  in  the  intervals  we 
listened  to  the  tiny  click  of  the  taximeter 
126 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      127 

registering  that  a  certain  distance  had  been 
traversed  and  we  had  spent  another  penny ! 

How  can  one  keep  count  of  days  and 
nights  in  Paris?  They  pass  like  the  wind; 
so  first  let  me  tell  of  practical  matters. 

The  well  known  and  central  hotels  are  of 
course  expensive,  therefore  we  decided  to 
remain  in  Passy.  It  is  conveniently  situated, 
being  within  easy  reach  of  the  best  parts  of 
Paris,  the  Champs  Elysees  and  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne.  Then,  too,  the  Eiffel  Tower 
serves  as  a  landmark,  be  you  where  you  may. 
There  is  an  excellent  choice  of  means  of 
transportation — cars,  omnibuses  and  under- 
ground trains  go  in  every  direction  and  there 
are  a  goodly  number  of  boats  on  the  Seine, 
this  is  of  course  the  pleasantest,  though  the 
slowest  method  of  travel.  Taximeter  cabs, 
too,  can  be  obtained  at  really  nominal  rates, 
fifteen  cents  being  the  minimum  charge. 

By  taking  our  room  by  the  week — or 
rather  rooms,  for  the  apartment  consisted  of 
a  suite  of  three  tiny  "  chambres,"  the  rate 
was  reduced  to  three  francs  a  night.  Break- 
fast was  served  to  us  at  a  small  table  in  the 


ia8      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

big,  cool  salle-a-manger  on  the  ground  floor. 
It  was  a  French  breakfast,  of  course,  con- 
sisting only  of  coffee  and  rolls.  When  we 
wanted  something  more  substantial,  we  or- 
dered "  ceufs  a  la  coque"  and  paid  an  addi- 
tional couple  of  cents  apiece  for  perfectly 
boiled,  new-laid  eggs. 

If,  instead  of  going  to  Passy,  we  had 
ventured  to  the  Latin  quarter  on  the  "  Left 
Bank"  (of  the  Seine) ,  as  we  determined  to  do 
if  any  time  remained  upon  our  return  from 
the  Riviera,  we  should  have  spent  much  less. 
Even  near  the  station  of  Montparnasse,  for 
instance,  two  francs  a  night  is  an  ordinary 
price  for  a  capital  room.  In  the  immediate 
environs  of  the  Boulevard  St.  Michel,  the 
main  artery  of  the  Quartier  Latin,  rates  go 
even  lower.  Take  rooms  by  the  month  and 
they  can  be  had  from  three  dollars.  This  is 
the  charge  at  the  Grand  Hotel  Saint  Malo, 
number  2  Rue  d'Odessa.  At  44  Rue 
Madame,  a  particularly  clean  little  place,  as 
nice  a  room  as  a  young  student  could  want 
is  to  be  obtained  for  five  dollars  a  month 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      129 

with  an  extra  dollar  for  service.  If  per- 
chance these  are  full,  or  do  not  suit,  there 
are  the  Grand  Hotel  Tarranne,  153  Boule- 
vard St.  Germain,  and  the  Hotel  de  Lon- 
dres  on  the  Rue  Bonaparte  with  accom- 
modations at  much  the  same  rate.  You  live 
as  you  please  at  these  hotels,  and  are  in  no 
way  obliged  to  take  your  meals  upon  the 
premises,  which  is  fortunate,  for  the  quarter 
abounds  in  odd  little  restaurants  of  mira- 
culous prices.  In  going  to  them,  too,  you 
will  be  sure  to  encounter  students  of  your 
own  nationality,  be  it  what  it  may.  If  you 
particularly  want  to  meet  students  and  so 
see  something  of  the  real  life  of  the  locality, 
it  could  doubtless  be  managed  through  the 
mens'  club  on  the  Rue  Notre  Dame  des 
Champs,  or  the  girls'  at  4  Rue  de  Chever- 
euse. 

To  return  to  the  subject  of  meals  you 
could  not  want  a  better  than  you  could  find 
at  the  Grand  Restaurant,  10  Rue  Sainte 
Placide,  and  it  can  be  had  either  at  a  fixed 
price,  or  according  to  what  you  choose  from 


130      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

the  plainly  marked  menu.  A  place  much 
patronised  by  men  art  students  is  the  Procop 
on  the  Rue  Mazarin,  here  wine  is  included 
for  twenty  cents,  the  Bouillon  Georges  on 
the  same  street  is  also  well  known  to  econ- 
omically minded  students.  At  14  Rue  du 
Bac,  upstairs,  a  dejeuner  of  meat,  vegetables 
and  bread  is  served  for  fifteen  cents,  and 
tips  are  considered  out  of  order.  A  few 
doors  off  there  is  the  Restaurant  de  la  Garde 
with  four  courses  and  wine  for  a  quarter. 
The  Maison  Lemasson,  Passage  Potier 
gives  an  hors-d'euvre  (or  soup),  meat,  vege- 
tables (or  fish),  dessert,  and  half  a  bottle  of 
wine  with  "  bread  at  discretion  "  for  one 
franc  twenty-five  centimes.  The  Maison 
Bordeaux,  167  Rue  de  Rennes,  one  of  the 
oldest  cafes  in  the  Montparnasse  dis- 
trict, is  a  trifle  more  expensive,  dejeuner  is 
served  at  one  franc  fifty,  dinners  at  two, 
(forty  cents),  but  you  have  a  good  choice. 
At  the  majority  of  these  places  a  couple  of 
sous  is  sufficient  for  the  waiter,  the  more  ex- 
pensive ones  want  double  this  modest  sum. 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      131 

while  if  you  wish  to  be  really  generous,  the 
new  nickle  coin  (worth  five  cents)  is  decid- 
edly convenient. 

On  all  the  menus  there  is  an  imploring 
appeal — "  Visitors  are  prayed  not  to  nour- 
ish their  dogs  upon  the  materials  of  the 
house!" 

But  these  restaurants  are  more  or  less  in 
the  students'  quarter.  It  is  just  as  well  to 
know  where  to  go  in  other  districts,  for  some 
of  the  prices  asked  are  certainly  enormous. 
The  Duval  establishments  are  well  known 
and  much  patronised.  Their  only  fault  is  that 
it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  obtain  a  table. 
These  restaurants  are  in  every  locality  and 
in  them  you  can  spend  what  you  like. 
When  you  enter,  a  card  is  presented 
to  you,  on  which  are  columns  with 
various  prices  above  them.  The  dishes  you 
select  are  marked  on  this;  one,  for  instance, 
in  the  twenty  centimes  section,  two  in  the 
forty,  one  in  the  sixty.  These  can  be  com- 
pared, at  a  glance,  with  the  prices  marked 
upon  the  menu.  It  is  always  well  to  verify 


132       How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

the  calculations  yourself;  the  French  have 
weak  heads  where  arithmetic  is  concerned. 
At  most  of  these  places,  while  bread  is 
served  free  "  at  discretion,"  serviettes  and 
water  are  charged  for.  Almost  invariably 
ten  centimes  (two  cents)  more  than  the  cor- 
rect price  is  charged  should  no  kind  of  drink 
be  taken.  A  choice  of  tea,  coffee,  wine,  cider, 
milk  and  mineral  water,  is  given. 

It  is  rather  fun,  after  a  course  of  quaint, 
out  of  the  way  restaurants,  to  go  to  the  other 
extreme,  for  a  night  or  two,  and  visit  the 
fashionable  cafes.  Those  on  the  Rue  de 
Rivoli  and  in  the  wide  courtyard  by  the 
Palais  Royal,  are  enjoyable.  In  the  latter 
the  white  clothed  tables  set  out  in  the  open 
air,  sheltered  from  the  wind  by  trees  in  tubs, 
and  from  threatened  showers  by  a  quickly 
moveable,  striped  awning,  certainly  have 
great  charm.  The  pleasure  may  be  had  for 
any  sum  between  four  and  ten  francs  a  meal. 
Some  people  dislike  the  open  air  life  led  by 
many  in  Paris,  and  object  to  pedestrians 
perpetually  passing  among  the  tables,  but  we 
enjoyed  it  thoroughly. 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING       133 

Another  novelty  in  which  we  found  amuse- 
ment was  the  inquisitorial  papers  encount- 
ered at  the  French  hotels.  They  are 
handed  to  you  almost  before  you  decide 
upon  your  room,  such  is  the  desire  of  the 
proprietors  to  keep  within  the  letter  of  the 
law.  'Why?'  we  asked,  as  we  groaningly 
filled  them  in,  *  should  the  government  desire 
to  know  such  details  about  us  ?  '  Our  names 
and  given  names  are  required,  professions, 
the  dates  of  our  respective  births,  not  only 
the  years,  but  the  days,  months,  and  place 
of  the  event,  the  address  of  our  home 
"  domicile,"  our  nationality,  the  time  we  en- 
tered France,  where  we  come  from,  whither 
going,  when  and  whyl  Are  such  facts  re- 
quired only  because  occupation  must  be 
found  for  a  vast  band  of  "  fonctlonnaire"? 

A  wise  thing  to  do,  when  going  to  stay 
in  France  is  to  take  a  passport.  It  is  very 
satisfying  to  the  French  mind,  on  account  of 
its  seals,  is  useful  if  only  for  identification 
purposes,  and  invaluable  if  anything  goes 
wrong.  The  Prefect  of  Police  charges 
nothing  for  stamping  it. 


134      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

Now  for  one  more  hint  regarding  means 
of  transportation.  Unless  you  are  pos- 
sessed of  unlimited  daring  and  patience,  ven- 
ture not  underground.  The  more  changes 
he  can  get  for  his  money,  the  more  pleased 
the  Frenchman  seems  to  be — to  a  foreigner 
repeated  dashes  in  and  out  of  trains,  upstairs 
and  down,  are  decidedly  confusing.  Guides 
are  almost  a  necessity  until  you  have  mas- 
tered the  intricate  mysteries  of  the  system  I 

As  for  the  cars,  remember  always  that  if 
you  wish  to  board  one  during  the  busy  hours 
it  is  essential  first  to  obtain  a  ticket  from  the 
little  kiosks  at  the  stopping  stations.  With- 
out one  you  will  not  be  allowed  in,  unless 
there  is  plenty  of  room.  Those  holding  the 
lowest  numbers  are  admitted  first.  The 
fare  outside  is  three  cents,  inside,  double. 
But  inside,  transfers  are  given  free,  outside 
they  cost  good  so^s! 

Another  thing  to  remember,  in  your  jour- 
ney in  France,  is  that  tipping  is  universal. 
Luckily,  though,  it  is  on  such  a  small  scale 
that  it  causes  little  inconvenience.  A  dime 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      135 

is  generous  on  most  occasions,  the  nickle 
seems  to  give  satisfaction,  while  few 
disdain  coppers.  These  were  the  hints 
given  to  me  by  French  people.  Tip  often 
and  little,  is  a  good  rule.  Do  not  give 
on  the  American  or  English  scale ;  if  you  do, 
rather  than  gratitude,  you  will  receive  scorn 
for  your  folly  and  ignorance  of  the  French 
custom.  Most  Americans  abroad  will  tell 
you  it  is  when  they  have  given  at  double  or 
treble  the  market  rate  that  they  have  en- 
countered rudeness.  And  now  I  can  set 
aside  my  "Cornells  pratique"  and  turn  to 
the  joy  of  a  holiday  in  Paris. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE  JOYS  OF  PARIS;  WHAT  TO  SEE;  NAPOLEON'S  TOMB, 
THE  LOUVRE,  LUXEMBOURG,  NOTRE  DAME,  STE.  CHAP- 

ELLE,  THE  CONCIERGERIE— PRISON  OF  TRAGIC  MEMORIES 

— THE  MARKETS  AND  BOULEVARDS — VERSAILLES  AND 
WHEN  TO  GO  THERE,  ST.  CLOUD,  AND  THE  ABSO- 
LUTE NECESSITY  OF  SEEING  IT;  RIVEE  EXCURSION 
THERETO,  WITH  TEA  IN  THE  CHALET  AT  THE  END  OF  IT 
MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES. 

YES,  now  for  the  joys  of  Paris  and  accord- 
ing to  our  experience  these  are  not  to  be 
found  in  a  painstaking  study  of  the  city  ac- 
cording to  the  routine  of  guide  books,  but 
rather  in  wandering  where  fancy  dictates 
or  eyes  may  tempt.  Follow  up  any  entranc- 
ing street  until  its  charms  wane.  Choose 
not  only  the  avenues,  the  Rue  de  la  Paix 
with  its  famous  stores,  the  Avenue  1'Opera, 
or  the  Rue  St.  Honore,  but  those  others 
down  near  Notre  Dame.  That  section  known 
as  L'lle  de  la  Cite  is  the  oldest  part  of  Paris 
— it  was  a  town  in  the  time  of  Julius 
Caesar. 

136 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      137 

The  curious,  turning,  lane-like  streets  on 
the  "  Left  Bank"  (of  the  Seine)  the  Boule- 
vard St.  Michel  (the  main  artery  of  the  Lat- 
in Quarter),  and  the  streets  radiating  from 
it,  are  all  distinctively  Parisian. 

Long  excursions  upon  the  top  of  omni- 
buses or  cars  have  their  charm,  if  you  lay 
out  a  plan  of  campaign  by  means  of  a  map  of 
Paris,  and  a  capital  bird's-eye  view  of  the 
city  can  be  obtained  in  this  way. 

Another  excursion  that  simply  must  be 
made,  is  to  St.  Cloud.  Something  like  a  dime 
will  take  you  there  by  river,  and  there  can  be 
no  fairer  place  for  afternoon  tea  than  the 
little  chalet  in  the  splendid  garden.  Nor  can 
a  finer  view  be  had  than  that  from  the  ter- 
race over  the  winding  river.  The  monu- 
ments and  noted  towers  of  Paris  stand  out 
splendidly. 

Versailles  is  another  place  that  should  on 
no  account  be  omitted.  Choose  a  day  when 
the  cascades  are  playing  and  go  early.  The 
halls  wherein  once  stepped  Mesdames  du 
Barry  and  de  Pompadour,  will  engross  you 


138      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

for  hours ;  there  seem  to  be  miles  of  pictures 
upon  the  walls.  Millions  have  been  spent 
upon  the  gardens  and  almost  as  much  more 
upon  the  Trianons,  in  the  smaller  of  which 
the  young  queen,  Marie  Antoinette,  played 
at  the  joys  of  peasant  life  in  that  brief 
period  when  she  was  ignorant  of  the  coming 
revolution. 

What  shall  I  say  of  Paris  itself — and  of 
the  places  that  one  visits  as  a  matter  of 
course?  Could  anybody,  going  to  Paris 
omit  Napoleon's  Tomb,  the  Louvre,  that 
splendid  collection  of  modern  pictures  and 
statues  to  be  found  at  the  Luxembourg, 
stately  Notre  Dame  standing  apart  on  its 
island,  or  that  gem  of  gems,  Sainte  Chapelle, 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Conciergerie — 
prison  of  tragic  memories!  Madame 
Roland,  Danton,  Desmoulins,  Robespierre 
and  Marie  Antoinette  were  all  held  prison- 
ers here,  and  their  cells  may  be  seen  to-day. 

But  such  sights  as  these  can  only  be  pro- 
perly appreciated  if  they  are  seen  as  inter- 
ludes. To  this  end,  take  many  rambles, 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      1139 

Parisian  rambles;  it  is  only  SO  that  the  at- 
mosphere of  Paris  can  be  felt.  For  in- 
stance rise  in  the  early  mornings  and  go  to 
the  great  markets;  those  of  flowers  and 
birds  are  famous.  A  picturesque  gathering 
can  be  seen  any  Tuesday  or  Friday  outside 
the  Madeleine.  It  almost  feels  as  though 
the  country  had  come  to  pass  a  day  in  the 
city,  such  is  the  strength  of  the  scent  of  the 
fresh,  sweet  blossoms. 

•  •  •  •  • 

Does  any  one,  I  wonder,  stand  for  the 
first  time  above  the  tomb  of  Napoleon  with- 
out a  certain  sense  of  awe?  It  is  so  marvel- 
lously set  forth.  Picture,  a  great  paved 
hallway,  a  circular,  marble  balustrade  in  the 
centre,  beyond  this  an  altar  flooded  with 
golden  light  from  the  windows  in  the  niche. 
Look  over  the  marble  way.  Beneath  it,  in  a 
circular  crypt,  stands  a  tremendous  sarco- 
phagus hewn  out  of  a  single  block  of  granite. 
This  is  the  actual  tomb  of  "  the  little  Cor- 
poral." Twelve  gigantic  figures  of  Victory 
bearing  as  trophies  the  battle  flags  taken  bj; 


140      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

Napoleon  from  Austria,  England  and  Rus- 
sia, give  a  dramatic  touch  to  what  might 
otherwise  have  been  sombre.  At  the  door 
of  the  crypt  are  two  more  colossi  in  bronze. 
One  bears  a  sceptre  and  an  imperial  crown, 
the  other  a  globe.  (Surely  the  sculptor 
should  have  added  a  sword?)  The  door- 
way is  cast  from  the  cannon  taken  at  Auster- 
litz. 

The  strangeness  and  unexpectedness  of 
the  setting  is  most  impressive.  Tradition 
has  it  that  this  design  was  determined  upon 
so  that  the  highest  in  the  world  should  be 
compelled  to  bow  their  heads  before  the 
tomb  of  France's  hero.  It  was  In  the  court- 
yard without  that  a  great  pyramid  of  flags 
and  other  trophies  of  Napoleon  were  burnt 
on  the  eve  of  the  entering  of  the  allies  into 
Paris  in  order  that  such  cherished  posses- 
sions might  not  fall  into  alien  hands. 

Comrade  and  I  crossed  the  wide  bridge 
of  Alexander  III.  and  turned  to  look  back 
at  the  gilded  tomb,  feeling  that  further  de- 
liberate sightseeing  would  be  a  kind  of  anti- 
climax. The  Place  de  la  Concorde,  rightly 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      141 

judged  one  of  the  finest  spaces  in  all  the 
world,  lay  before  us.  In  one  direction 
stretched  the  wide  avenue  of  the  Champs 
Elysees ;  at  the  upper  end  stood  the  Arc  de 
Triomphe,  the  setting  sun  crowning  its  glory. 
We  turned  and  faced  the  gardens  of  the 
Tuilleries.  It  was  to  this  palace  (two  wings 
of  which  are  all  that  remain)  that  Louis 
XVI.  was  brought  by  a  mob  to  be  installed 
in  mockery.  It  was  here,  too,  that  Napoleon 
lived  with  Josephine,  and  the  Empress 
Eugenie  learnt  that  she  must  fly. 

Shut  your  eyes  for  a  moment  as  you  stand 
in  this  Place  de  la  Concorde.  Here  the 
guillotine  was  erected.  Let  the  whirr  of  the 
ceaseless  wheels  die  away  and  you  may  hear 
instead  the  click  of  the  knitting  needles  of 
the  women  of  the  Foubourg  St.  Antoine  as 
they  watch  the  heads  of  the  victims  fall  into 
the  basket.  It  is  terribly,  literally  true,  that 
the  very  gutters  have  run  with  blood.  Two 
thousand  people  have  faced  death  on  the 
Place  de  la  Concorde  by  looking  through 
the  "  little  window  "  of  the  guillotine.  Al- 
most as  many  more  were  trampled  to  death, 


14.2      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

in  the  same  space,  on  the  occasion  of  a  wild 
panic  at  the  time  of  the  marriage  of  the 
Dauphin  of  France  to  Marie  Antionette. 
What  stories  could  the  stones  tell  if  they 
had  speech!  Tales  of  alien  soldiers  en- 
camped here — German  and  Russian  and 
English.  Tales,  too,  of  famine  and  pesti- 
lence. .  .  .  Ah,  there  is  black  tragedy  in 
Paris  as  well  as  glitter.  Hardly  a  street 
but  has  some  such  memories.  The  sudden 
realisation  of  it  oppressed  Comrade,  and  we 
crossed  to  the  Rue  de  Rivoli  to  distract  our- 
selves with  store  windows,  completed  the 
cure  by  tea  at  Kardomah  near  the  Louvre, 
caught  the  last  airs  of  a  military  concert  in 
the  park,  and  then  crossed  the  river  to  rum- 
mage among  the  book  stalls  and  cases  of 
relics  that  edge  the  banks  between  the 
bridges  and  are  such  a  feature  of  Parisian 
life. 

Days  go  fast  in  Paris.  Nights  still 
faster.  What  is  the  charm  of  the  place  that 
despite  well  laid  morning  plans,  nightfall 
will  find  half  unaccomplished?  With  a 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      143 

little  energy  it  should  be  possible  to  climb 
the  Eiffel  Tower,  visit  the  Sevres  porcelain 
factories,  hear  a  mass  at  the  Madeleine,  drop 
in  at  a  museum  and  wind  up  at  the  opera, 
after  a  drive  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  But  it 
is  not.  The  monuments  alone  distract  you 
from  any  settled  plan.  What  other  city  in 
the  world  can  show  an  equal  number  of 
groups  impossible  to  pass?  But  then  Paris 
is  certainly  a  stage-like  city.  It  is  built  for 
show — laid  out  and  planned  ruthlessly,  and 
at  the  cost  of  many  millions. 

I  have  said  the  nights  fly  faster  than  the 
days.  The  whole  drama  of  life  passes  on 
the  boulevards.  The  wealth  and  glitter  of 
it  is  seen  at  the  cafes  chantants  on  the 
Champs  Elysees,  chief  among  which  is  the 
"  Ambassadeurs."  The  tragedy,  in  those  who 
walk  the  streets,  actors  for  the  audience  that 
sits  until  long  past  midnight,  drinking  black 
coffee  at  the  crowded  little  tables  on  the  side 
walks. 

•  •  •  •  • 

Does  any  one  leave  Paris  without  making 
plans  for  a  speedy  return?  It  is  so  easy  to 


144       How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

say  it — so  difficult  to  find  the  opportunity — 
and  yet  it  sounds  simple  to  "  break  the  jour- 
ney there  again."  This  was  the  bribe  I  of- 
fered Comrade  to  induce  an  immediate  pack- 
ing and  departure  for  the  South. 

Fontainebleau  was  postponed.  From  all 
we  had  heard  we  had  concluded  that  it  could 
not  be  done  in  a  hurry,  time  was  flying  fast. 
On  our  return  from  the  Riviera,  therefore, 
we  decided  to  linger  at  Barbizon  to  rest  and 
gather  strength  for  a  few  more  strenuous 
days  in  the  most  brilliant  city  in  France — 
when  one  looks  on  the  surface,  forgets  the 
past,  and  ignores  the  temperament  that  may 
bring  tragedy  again. 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 

Room  at  three  francs  a  night  (seven  nights) $  4.20 

Breakfast  (one  franc  average) 1.40 

Dejeuners   (usually  one  franc  fifty) 2.10 

Dinners  (four  at  two  francs,  three  at  five  francs)  4.60 
Extras,  fares,  entrances,  tips  and  personal 6.36 

$18.66 


CHAPTER  XV 

MONTE  CARLO— PENSIONS,  HOTELS  AND  RESTAURANTS, 
ROOMS,  PRICES  AND  LOCALITIES — THE  CASINO  AND  HOW 
TO  OBTAIN  ENTRANCE  THERETO — "THE  MAN  WHO 
BROKE  THE  BANK  AT  MONTE  CARLO" — OUR  DETER- 
MINATION TO  RIVAL  HIM  AND  THE  RESULT— CON- 
CERTS, OPERAS,  VARIOUS  ENTERTAINMENTS— LEGENDS 
AND  SUPERSTITIONS  OF  THE  PLACE. 

"  MONTE  CARLO?  My  dear!  Such  a  dis- 
tance!" exclaimed  many  English  people 
when  they  heard  of  our  project.  We 
laughed  them  to  scorn.  What  to  us  was  a 
railway  journey  of  thirteen  and  a  half  hours' 
duration?  And  the  speediest  trains  from 
Paris  invariably  reach  the  Cote  d'Azur  in 
this,  their  scheduled  time. 

The  "  season "  in  Monte  Carlo  begins 
early  in  November  and  endures  until  April. 
.  .  .  This  being  so,  we  arrived  to  find  the 
Siren  City  of  the  Riviera  a  kind  of  sleeping 
beauty.  The  drawing  rooms  in  most  of  the 
great  hotels  were  swathed  in  white  drap- 

145 


146      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

cries,  heavy  shades  shut  out  the  brilliant 
sunlight,  and  branches  of  pine  and  fragrant 
herbs  covered  the  few  rugs  that  had  been 
left  upon  the  floors.  The  best  shops  seemed 
hermetically  sealed.  "  English  spoken  here," 
inscribed  on  the  windows  of  the  few  re- 
maining open,  meant  nothing.  If  we  inad- 
vertently used  that  language  it  was  received 
with  shrugs  and  uncomprehending  smiles — 
"  Our  English  has  not  come  yet."  It  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at,  for  few  save  continentals 
find  their  way  south  in  the  summertime. 
The  English  speaking  races  are  at  once  the 
worst  linguists  and  the  greatest  spenders. 

For  those  who  love  warmth  and  light 
there  can  be  no  fairer  place  even  in  the 
height  of  summer.  Picture  to  yourself  a 
tiny  city  of  white  palaces  built  on  a  high  rock 
which  juts  out  into  the  Mediterranean  and 
is  fenced  off  from  the  rest  of  the  world  by 
the  barrier  of  the  Alpes  Maritimes. 

Have  you  heard  that  Monte  Carlo  is 
"  such  a  wicked  place?  "  Without  doubt  it 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      147 

must  be.  Its  population,  in  the  season,  is 
enormous,  considering  the  size  of  the  place, 
and  the  great  majority  are  men  and  women 
with  a  spice  of  recklessness  in  their  blood. 
They  are  those  who  worship  the  Goddess 
Chance.  People  will  tell  you  of  400  suicides 
a  year  in  the  little  principality;  of  an  annual 
press  subsidy  reaching  into  six  figures,  paid  in 
order  that  tragic  tales  may  be  suppressed; 
and  of  other  vast  sums  given  to  those  who 
have  stayed  too  long  at  the  green  baize 
tables,  to  the  end  that  they  may  go  back  to 
their  own  countries.  The  administration 
desires  above  all  things  to  keep  down  the 
numbers  of  those  who  annually  find  a  grave 
in  the  suicides'  cemetery  on  the  hill,  or  a  last 
resting  place  beneath  the  waters  of  the  Med- 
iterranean. But  of  this  tragic  side  you  need 
see  nothing — can  see  nothing  unless  by  some 
fluke  of  circumstances.  It  is  all  buried 
deeply.  Forget,  then,  that  it  is  there,  and 
take  the  joys  that  are  here  offered  to  you  in 
generous  profusion.  Never  was  such  a 
place  for  fetes  I  Especially  if  you  are  lucky 


148       How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

enough  to  arrive  either  at  the  beginning  or 
end  of  the  season  and  can  stay  long  enough 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  both  kinds  of  life. 
Ask  for  the  "  Monte  Carlo  Notes,"  issued 
by  the  Metropole,  or  you  will  miss  half  of 
these  batttles  of  flowers,  and  confetti,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  religious  and  commemorative 
processions;  scenes  that  are  sometimes 
enacted  at  dead  of  the  night,  and  are  unique 
of  their  kind,  at  least  in  the  eyes  of  all  who 
are  not  blase. 

The  Casino,  of  course,  is  what  attracts  the 
majority.  It  stands  on  the  plateau  of  rock 
known  in  the  days  of  the  Saracens  as  "  The 
Plain  of  the  Robbers,"  and  is  visible  from 
afar. 

Present  your  card  af  the  bureau  in  the 
first  hall,  fill  in  the  form  that  will  be  given 
to  you — and  the  magic  doors  swing  open. 
The  entrance  fee  is  nil.  This  "billet," 
however,  must  be  renewed  each  day  until  the 
correctness  of  your  behaviour  is  beyond 
doubt,  when  one  for  a  longer  period  will  be 
granted,  though  always  upon  the  understand- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING       149 

ing  that  it  may  be  withdrawn  at  any  moment, 
and  without  stated  reason. 

The  same  ticket  gives  admission  to  the 
splendidly  equipped  writing  and  reading 
rooms,  (wherein  are  gathered  newspapers 
from  almost  every  civilised  country,)  and 
also  to  all  the  concerts  except  the  "  specials." 

Let  me  give  you  one  emphatic  word  of 
warning.  Don't  lose  the  charm  of  what  a 
first  impression  may  be  by  going  direct  to 
the  Casino — unless,  by  chance,  you  arrive 
after  dark. 

Spend  the  morning  rather  in  Old  Monaco 
— in  the  gardens  on  the  edge  of  the  rock — 
or  in  the  ancient  palace  of  the  Grimaldi 
wherein,  until  quite  recently,  reigned  an 
American  girl.  In  the  afternoon  rest  on 
the  sun  flooded  terrace  of  the  Casino,  listen- 
ing' to  one  of  the  best  orchestras  in  all 
Europe.  It  plays  in  the  gay  kiosk  at  the 
other  end  of  the  upper  terrace  from  the 
marble  whispering  gallery.  You  may  sit  at 
the  cafe  tables  or  else  under  the  shade  of 
palms  and  orange  trees.  When  the  sun 


150      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

droops  behind  the  Tete-de-Chien  and  tints  the 
Alpes  to  purple,  go  you  to  dine  at  any  of  the 
famous  restaurants  you  please.  The  Hotel 
de  Paris,  the  Grand  (if  it  be  open)  Giro's, 
the  Metropole  upon  the  Gallerie  Charles,  or, 
if  the  demon  of  extravagance  has  not  yet 
caught  you,  at  one  of  the  lesser  lights — the 
Prince  de  Galles,  Windsor,  or  that  nearby 
and  modest  hostelry  the  Hotel  de  1'Europe. 
Then  when  night  has  fallen  and  the  luck 
bringing  fireflies  sparkle  in  the  orange 
groves,  go  to  the  Casino.  ...  In  the  day- 
light disillusion  waits  on  the  threshold. 
The  halls  seem  the  resort  of  ruined  gamblers 
and  of  those  who  can  ill  afford  to  lose.  At 
night  tragedy  is  forgotten,  all  is  glitter  and 
froth — play  runs  high  as  the  hours  go  on. 

With  a  growing  sense  of  excitement  we 
passed  among  the  chattering,  gorgeous 
groups  in  the  nobly  proportioned  Atrium. 
Vague  sentences  concerning  the  place  danced 
through  our  brain — "  The  plague  spot  of 
Europe  "...  the  Siren  of  the  World  " 
.  .  .  half  remembered  fragments  of  forgot- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      151 

ten  tales  recurred  to  us.  ...  Stories  of  men 
who  had  won  great  fortunes  and  of  others 
who  had  lost  wealth,  honor  and  life.  .  .  . 
And  everything  seemed  set  to  the  tune  of 
"  The  Man  Who  Broke  the  Bank  at  Monte 
Carlo!  .  i.,  .  The  doors  swung  behind  us, 
and  we  were  in  the  Casino.  The  many 
lights  were  ablaze.  Those  in  the  great 
crown-like  chandeliers  overhead  and  those  in 
the  heavy  swinging  lamps  above  the  tables. 
It  was  the  hour  when  the  richness  of  the 
whole  scene  is  best  shown  to  advantage, 
when  the  hangings  seem  most  silken,  the  pic- 
tures yet  more  delicate,  the  leather  couches 
more  mellow  in  tone  and  the  inlaid  floor 
more  highly  polished. 

It  was  quiet  in  these  magnificent  halls,  but 
not  too  quiet.  Tension  and  strain  come 
later,  usually  in  the  further  red-hung  room 
where  trente-et  quarante  takes  the  place  of 
roulette. 

Here  and  there  came  a  ripple  of  laughter 
from  a  gay  group  of  friends.  Some  are 
walking  about.  Echoes  of  light  badinage 


i$2      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

reach  us.  Others  are  watching  the  players 
— the  whirl  of  the  revolving  roulette  wheel 
— the  movements  of  the  little  white  ivory 
ball — or  the  impassive  croupiers  as  they 
rake  in  the  lost  money  and  pay  out  gold  and 
silver  to  the  winners. 

Footmen  in  blue  and  silver  liveries  pass 
about,  picking  up  this  lady's  handkerchief, 
gathering  together  a  handful  of  dropped 
coins  for  another,  or  searching  under  a  table 
for  some  unfortunate's  last  louis. 

Disconnected  fragments  of  many  lan- 
guages— French,  Spanish,  Italian  and  odd, 
unknown  tongues — float  on  the  warm  per- 
fumed air.  The  windows  towards  the 
Mediterranean  are  open,  but  the  rhythm  of 
music  overpowers  the  murmur  of  the  "  tide- 
less  sea." 

Comrade  and  I  sat  on  a  luxurious  couch 
and  watched  the  scene  before  us  with  inter- 
est and  amazement.  Some  men  were  in 
evening  dress,  some  wore  serge.  Women 
passed  in  trailing  silks,  their  bare  throats 
sparkling  with  jewels.  Others  wore  tailor- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      153 

built  models.  Some  were  white-haired, 
some  seemed  in  the  first  dawn  of  youth. 

Suddenly  we  became  aware  that  the  gen- 
eral attention  was  focussed  about  a  certain 
table.  Others  became  deserted  by  onlook- 
ers. We  followed  the  greater  number  and 
saw  a  fair-haired  boy,  sitting  with  money  in 
actual  piles  before  him.  Gold  and  silver  lay 
in  masses.  Notes  were  in  a  pyramid  full 
nine  inches  high.  The  ball  spun  and  we 
watched  breathlessly.  The  young  player 
staked  his  coins,  the  ball  ran  on  its  frantic 
course — and  once  again  the  croupier  paid  out 
to  the  winner  1 

A  spirit  of  excitement  seized  us. 

"  It's  only  a  five  franc  piece — that  never 
feels  like  "  real  money,"  said  Comrade, 
emulating  me  as  I  opened  my  purse  in  a 
hurry.  .  .  .  We  follow  the  lead  of  this 
young  hero — we  would  win  as  much  as  he! 
.  .  .  Visions  of  breaking  the  bank  made  our 
brains  swim.  The  refrain  of  that  erstwhile 
popular  song  sounded  maddeningly  loud. 
.  .  .  Alas  I  We  were  too  late !  An  un- 


154      How  T0  VISIT  EUROPE 

obtrusive  man,  who,  watch  in  hand,  had  been 
standing  behind  the  leading  player,  now 
caught  him  by  the  shoulder.  .  .  .  "  Not  an- 
other turn!  We  can  only  just  do  it  if  we 
run  this  second  I  "  he  cried.  "  The  train 
goes  in  four  minutes."  The  other  sprang  to 
his  feet  with  an  excited  laugh.  Between 
them  they  gathered  up  the  money  in  hand- 
fuls,  and,  amid  a  chorus  of  regret  from  the 
habitual  players  who  hate  to  see  a  run  of 
luck  interrupted  by  departure,  the  two 
rushed  from  the  room. 

"He  will  come  back,"  said  one  croupier 
to  another  with  a  significant  glance  as  he 
raked  up  the  few  coins  the  boy  had  not  had 
time  to  snatch.  "He  has  had  the  begin- 
ner's luck." 

As  the  night  wore  on  we  caught  yet  more 
deeply  the  spirit  of  it  all.  Monte  Carlo  was 
for  us  a  great  stage.  We  found  ourselves 
searching  for  the  heroine  among  the  fair 
women  who  floated  by,  queens  of  lightness 
and  laughter.  Which  of  the  men  was  the 
hero?  Should  he  be  of  the  Antipodes — or 


ON  NEXT  iro  NOTHING      '155 

from  the  West — or  a  Briton  from  the 
"little  island  in  the  North  Sea?"  .  .  . 
And  the  villain  of  the  piece?  Was 
it  this  Spanish  grandee,  that  king  in  mufti, 
or  the  Russian  grand  duke,  once  an  exile  on 
Siberian  slopes,  now  a  favorite  at  the  court 
of  the  Great  White  Tzar? 

(Note.     Memorandum  of  expenses  will 
be  given  at  the  end  of  the  next  chapter.) 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ON  THE  COTE  D'AZUR— MENTONE,  NICE,  AND  THE  CAR- 
NIVALS— FISHING  VILLAGES,  MOUNTAIN  WALKING 
TOURS,  AND  AN  EXCURSION  OVER  THE  BORDER  INTO 
ITALY— A  CASTING  OF  ACCOUNTS— RETURN  TO  LONDON 
—TOTAL  MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSES. 

OUR  holiday  is  drawing  to  a  close  and  the 
time  has  come  for  the  casting  up  of  accounts. 

According  to  the  calendar  sixty-six  days 
have  elapsed  since  we  first  set  foot  on 
Europe.  Judging  by  the  number  of  new  im- 
pressions we  have  received,  I  should  write 
"  years  "  instead  of  "  days."  If  I  measured 
the  space  by  the  way  the  time  has  flown  I 
might  well  put  "hours."  In  addition  to 
these  sixty-six  days,  fourteen  were  spent  on 
the  journey  and  a  like  number  must  be  al- 
lowed for  the  return.  Exclusive  of  the  time 
we  may  spend  upon  the  Riviera,  our  holiday 
will  have  lasted  thirteen  weeks. 

I  have  put  down  the  sums  I  have  spent, 
156 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING       157 

and  I  still  have  seventy  dollars  in  hand 
from  the  original  $300  I  set  aside 
for  this  wonderful  European  trip.  What 
must  I  add  to  this?  Thirty-eight  dollars 
for  the  return  fare  from  England  to  the 
United  States,  something  for  incidental 
expenses  en  route  from  here  to  England — 
the  actual  fares  are  paid,  thank  Providence 
— another  five  might  well  vanish  should  we 
decide  to  spend  an  extra  day  or  so  in  Lon- 
don. According  to  the  rate  at  which  we  have 
been  spending,  our  funds  might  almost 
last  a  month  if  need  be.  ...  Alas!  Time 
is  passing  fast. 

•  •  •  •  • 

Monte  Carlo  is  a  place  where  you  can 
spend  as  much  or  as  little  as  you  please. 
Then,  too,  prices  vary  greatly  according  to 
the  time  of  year.  Three  or  four  thousand 
francs  will  be  asked  in  "  La  Saison,"  for  a 
furnished  flat  that  five  dollars  a  week  will 
rent  at  another  period. 

There  is  an  immense  variety  of  accommo- 
dation offered  in  Monte  Carlo.  Pensions 


1 58      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

along  the  Boulevard  du  Moulin  provide 
good  board  and  lodging  for  seven  or  eight 
francs  a  day.  You  could  live  at  the  inex- 
pensive hotels — such  as  De  FEurope — 
for  ten  or  twelve.  Furnished  rooms  can  be 
had  for  five,  seven  and  ten  francs  a  week 
out  of  the  season — near  that  time  they  are 
sometimes  only  obtainable  for  a  period. 

It  is  well  to  live  as  near  the  Casino  as 
possible,  not  down  the  Condamine;  that  sec- 
tion, being  lower,  is  not  so  healthy. 

When  exploring,  in  our  first  ecstasy  of  de- 
light at  being  actually  on  the  Riviera,  Com- 
rade and  I  had  come  upon  a  flight  of  cobble- 
stone steps  leading  down  from  the  Boule- 
vard du  Moulin.  Midway  was  a  narrow 
flagged  corridor-like  road,  its  name  reminis- 
cent of  that  period  when  Italy  owned  this 
mountain  shelf.  Desiring  to  ask  questions 
we  had  opened  a  high  gateway  and  so  come 
upon  a  vine  covered  arbor  where  a  white 
bearded  old  Frenchman  and  his  wife  were 
sitting  at  dejeuner.  The  view  was  superb. 
The  hill  dropped  away  in  terrace  after  ter- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      159 

race  of  orange  trees  and  vines;  below,  were 
the  red  roofs  of  hotels  and  houses,  but  they 
seemed  hardly  noticeable.  Beyond,  glim- 
mered the  wide  stretch  of  shimmering  sea, 
with  Corsica,  a  faint  line  upon  the  horizon. 
Old  Monaco  stood  out  to  the  right  of  us, 
cast  into  yet  greater  prominence  by  the  dim- 
ness of  the  ranges  stretching  unto  Spain. 
To  the  left  was  the  long  jutting  promontory 
of  Cap  Matin,  the  blue  line  of  Italy  near-by. 
Behind  us  rose  the  spur-like  Alpes. 

Were  not  rooms  in  this  quaint  little 
"  Maison  Masson"  infinitely  preferable  to 
what  might  be  obtained  in  a  spacious  hotel? 
We  secured  them  with  difficulty  and  after 
much  coaxing,  for  they  were  not  usually 
let  for  a  short  period.  Mine,  with  a 
tiny  kitchen  attached,  was  to  cost  seven 
francs  a  week.  Comrade's  was  slightly 
cheaper.  "  Why,  our  money  will  last  for- 
ever ! "  we  laughed.  It  certainly  would,  if 
one  went  to  market  in  the  mornings,  as  do 
the  French,  and  utilised  the  tiny  kitchen,  but 
not  when  restaurant  meals  must  be  paid  for. 


160      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

Prices  in  that  direction  are  somewhat  high. 
One  to  one  franc  fifty  for  breakfast,  two 
fifty  to  three  for  dejeuner,  four  to  ten  for 
dinner — and  we  resolved  to  test  the  handi- 
work of  every  chef  in  the  place. 

I  have  said  that  Monte  Carlo  is  a  place 
where  you  can  spend  as  little  as  you  like. 
Living  in  rooms  ten  dollars  a  week  could  be 
made  to  cover  all  expenses  easily,  seven  or 
even  five  would  suffice  were  strict  economy 
enforced.  Six  times  as  much  could  be  spent 
with  as  little  trouble. 

The  first  week  of  our  stay  we  could  hardly 
tear  ourselves  from  the  tiny  principality. 
The  second  week  we  rambled  further  afield, 
climbing  twice  to  La  Turbie  once  on  foot 
along  the  mountain  stair-like  path,  a  second 
time  by  means  of  the  "  Cremaillere,"  then 
rambled  on  to  the  deserted  monastery 
of  Laghet.  This,  until  the  order  of  ex- 
pulsion, was  a  miracle  shrine  to  which 
thousands  came  each  year.  Another  day 
saw  us  in  that  interesting  old  town  Villa- 
franca,  a  second  in  eyrie-like  Eze,  a  third 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING  .    1611 

at  Grasse,  famous  for  roses  and  perfume. 
One  of  the  most  memorable  of  all  our  ex- 
cursions was  to  the  little  villages  of  Peille 
and  Peillon,  set,  as  so  many  of  these  villages 
are  (to  safeguard  them  from  the  attacks 
of  pirates)  on  what  seem  almost  inacces- 
sible peaks.  Peillon  is  entered  through  a 
veritable  gorge.  We  picniced  on  a  flat 
plateau  above  a  gurgling  stream,  and 
dreamed  of  the  days  when  raiding  Algerian 
pirates  had  made  the  choice  of  such  spots 
necessary  for  the  homes  of  those  peaceably 
inclined.  Had  pirates  met  death  at  the 
drawbridge-like  entrance  under  the  huge 
rock?  Oh,  why  cannot  mountains  speak! 
Peille  is  set  yet  higher,  standing  2,000  feet 
above  sea  level,  with  a  mountain  towering 
behind  it  for  yet  another  2,000.  We  scaled 
these  heights  often  in  our  too  brief  stay  upon 
the  Riviera  and,  so  splendid  is  the  air,  that 
we  never  grew  tired.  Stand  on  Mount 
Aguille  right  behind  Monte  Carlo  and  you 
seem  to  have  reached  the  edge  of  the  world. 
Beneath,  is  a  sheer  wall-like  drop  into  the 


162       How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

depths  of  a  valley.  Look  behind  you,  and 
there  are  range  and  range  of  mountains 
(many  shaded,  according  to  the  hour) 
stretching  out  towards  Switzerland.  The 
strange  barrenness  but  adds  to  the  weird 
effect. 

Another  day  that  will  live  long  in  my 
memory  is  one  when  after  a  scramble  and  a 
morning  swim,  we  took  books  and  flung  our- 
selves down  under  the  pines  on  the  rosemary 
bushes  and  aromatic  herbs  that  grow  so 
thickly  upon  Cap  Matin. 

One  of  our  most  curious  experiences  came 
upon  us  entirely  unexpectedly.  We  had 
climbed  to  Rocquebruna  and  its  quaintness 
had  captivated  us;  neither  camera  nor  pencil 
seemed  to  do  justice  to  the  narrow  alley-like 
streets,  bound  together  by  archways  (on  the 
principle  that  union  is  strength)  because  in 
the  past  earthquakes  were  of  frequent  occur- 
ence.  Tradition  has  it  that  Rocquebruna,  like 
her  sister  villages,  was  originally  located  up- 
on the  summit  of  the  mountain  and  that  her 
present  comparatively  lowly  position  is  due 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      163 

to  the  effects  of  one  of  these  disturbances. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  our  visit  was  made  on  a 
very  hot  day  and  we  entered  the  church  to 
rest.  Suddenly,  the  tramp  of  armed  men 
sounded,  the  great  doors  were  burst  open 
and  priests  came  hastily  forward  as  some 
soldiers,  with  a  prisoner  bearing  a  heavy 
cross  in  their  midst  burst  into  the  tranquillity. 
We  had  all  unknowingly  stumbled  upon  a 
passion  play.  Perhaps,  if  we  had  come  pur- 
posely, we  should  have  seen  the  tawdriness 
and  ineffectiveness  unavoidable  in  such  a 
situation.  As  it  was,  when  we  left  the 
church  it  was  in  silence  and  with  bent  heads. 

•  •  .  •  • 

"  How  can  people  stay  at  Nice  when  they 
could  live  at  Monte  Carlo  ?  "  Comrade  and 
I  asked  each  other  on  returning  from  a 
shopping  excursion  in  the  larger  city.  We 
brought  with  us  memories  of  fine  buildings 
and  great  hotels,  a  splendid  promenade 
with  picturesque  casinos  on  piers,  but  to  us, 
Nice  was  a  city  destitute  of  charm.  Nice  is 
only  for  those  who  wish  to  spend  their  days 


164      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

in  carriages.  u  Mentone  is  worth  a  thou- 
sand of  it,"  declared  Comrade,  and  I  sud- 
denly remembered  that  I  had  omitted  all 
mention  of  the  resort  to  which  throng  the 
thousands  seeking  health.  We  had  gone  to 
it  by  train,  had  been  delighted  by  the  well 
kept  English  and  American  quarter,  and  en- 
chanted by  the  glorious  views  to  be  obtained 
up  the  valley  of  the  Gorbio.  A  dozen 
photographs  had  proved  inadequate  to  por- 
tray the  quaintness  of  the  "  old  town " 
clustering  in  a  heterogeneous  mass  near  the 
church  which  stands  out  as  a  thing  so  won- 
derful, probably  on  account  of  the  extreme 
poverty  of  its  surroundings.  "  Can  there 
be,"  we  asked  as  we  stood  in  the  tiny  ceme- 
tery, "  a  burial  ground  as  beautiful  in  any 
other  place?  "  Beneath  it,  were  red  roofed 
houses  and  orange  groves,  the  golden  fruit 
already  ripening  upon  the  trees,  behind  it, 
rose  the  mountains,  before,  the  glorious 
sparkling  sea.  On  this  same  day  of  ex- 
ploration we  had  walked  to  Italy — yea, 
walked!  Does  it  not  sound  a  feat?  But 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      165 

it  is  not  far  by  the  Via  Corniche  built  by  the 
great  Napoleon.  It  is  a  curious  sensation 
to  stand  upon  the  bridge  across  the  silent 
gorge  and  to  feel  that  here  two  countries 
meet.  Gruesome  tales  are  told  of  this 
Pont  St.  Louis.  It  is  said  that  on  occas- 
ions Monte  Carlo's  victims  choose  it  as  the 
site  of  their  departure  from  this  world,  and 
that  the  governments  of  Italy  and  France 
have  nearly  severed  diplomatic  relations 
over  discussions  as  to  which  was  responsible 
for  the  burials  when  the  bodies  lay  with  the 
heads  in  one  country  and  the  feet  in  an- 
other 1 

•  •  •  •  • 

And  now  the  days  have  fled — our  time 
is  up.  We  were  torn  two  ways  as  to 
whether  we  should  not  grant  another  week 
to  this  wondrous  Riviera  and  for  its  sake 
give  up  the  further  week  in  Paris,  but  the 
mail  decided  us.  What  hosts  of  "  last 
commissions "  friends  do  send !  And  so 
we  packed  regretfully,  then  sallied  forth  for 
one  last  glorious  day  in  Italy.  We  had  in- 


1 66      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

tended  to  go  as  far  as  San  Remo  or 
Bordigera,  but  the  frontier  town  of  Ven- 
timiglia  caught  us.  Its  memory  is  yet  keen 
within  me.  Italian  types,  wonder-faced 
children,  picturesque  brigandish  soldiers 
with  cascades  of  shimmering  cocks  feathers 
falling  over  their  broad  shoulders,  green 
shuttered  villas,  speaking  of  wealth,  the 
squalor  of  the  native  Italian  section  and  the 
wonder  of  that  magnificent  view  up  the  val- 
ley of  the  Royale. 

And  now  the  train  speeds!  We  look 
upward  to  catch  a  last  fleeting  glimpse  of 
the  grinning  devils  of  the  Casino  ....  and 
are  whirled  into  a  tunnel.  In  truth  we  are 
homeward  bound. 

MEMORANDUM    OF    TOTAL    EXPENSE 

Previously  spent  in  Europe,  including  fare  from 

port  of  embarkation $214.58 

Second  half  of  return  ticket 38.00 


$252.58 

RIVIERA  LIVING  EXPENSES  : 

Room,  fifteen  nights $    3.50 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      167 

Dinners,  dejeuners  and  breakfasts  (with  some 
extravagant  meals  and  a  few  coffees  on  the 
Terrace)  20.00 

Tips,  fares  for  side  excursions  and  general 
incidentals 4.65 

$  28.15 

Total $28073 

In  hand  for  emergencies  on  the  homeward  way.  .$  19.27 

So,  for  well  under  our  $300  apiece,  we 
have  had  a  hundred  and  nine  glorious  days ! 
— The  average  cost  of  each,  two  dollars  and 
eighty-two  cents  1 


CHAPTER  XVII 

AN  UNEXPECTED  WINDFALL— WILD  DESIRES,  MUCH  DIS- 
CUSSION OF  MANY  POSSIBILITIES  AND  A  SUPPLEMENTARY 
"PERSONALLY  CONDUCTED"  CRUISE— HINTS  AS  TO 
CLOTHES  REQUISITE  FOR  A  COMFORTABLE  JOURNEY  TO 
THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN— ARRIVAL  AT  NOR- 
WAY. 

OUT  of  the  skies  it  seemed  to  have  dropped! 

Comrade  and  I  contemplated  the  letter  in 
amazement.  A  hundred  dollars!  A  hun- 
dred dollars  each  and  extended  leave  of  ab- 
sence. Where  could  not  twenty  pounds 
carry  us  in  this  wonderful,  economical 
Europe? 

Silently  we  deserted  our  half-packed 
trunks  and  sallied  forth  to  ransack  the  coun- 
ters of  the  various  tourist  agencies. 

A  hundred  dollars!  There  was  but  one 
way  to  spend  it,  and  that  way  the  way  of 
travel.  Then  whither  should  we  go? 
What  new  window  should  we  open  in  our 
wonder  gallery  of  impressions? 

"Italy?"  said  Comrade  faintly,  as  we 
168 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      169 

ensconced  ourselves  at  one  of  "  Slater's  " 
tables  and  mechanically  ordered  "mock 
turtle  soup  "  at  fourpence  a  plate. 

I  gasped — then  shook  my  head.  We  had 
had  one  brief  glimpse  of  Italy,  and  instan- 
taneous though  that  had  been,  it  had  proved 
that  that  land  of  poets  and  dreamers  could 
not  be  scampered  through  in  a  fortnight. 
Some  day  we  would  come  again,  then  Italy 
should  have  her  due;  we  would  devote  to 
her  a  whole  European  holiday,  not  the  last 
crowded  fleeting  days  alone. 

Which  of  us  made  the  next  suggestion? 
Who  knows?  Yet  suddenly  we  both  found 
ourselves  breathlessly  contemplating  the 
idea  of  Norway. 

Could  we  do  it?  But  yes!  Adepts  in 
the  manipulation  of  guide  books  and  time 
tables  we  turned  them  over,  scanning  en- 
ticing advertisements,  pouncing  upon  facts 
of  time  and  figure,  casting  that  aside  for 
this  reason,  this,  for  that,  until  the  field  of 
selection  was  narrowed  and  possible  to  con- 
template as  a  whole. 


170      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

Should  we  "  do "  Norway  as  we  had 
"done"  other  places?  Land  in  it,  and 
conquer  it  by  the  aid  of  national  "  cute- 
ness,"  or  should  we  go  "personally  con- 
ducted?" 

Time  was  short,  money  certain,  language, 
coinage  and  customs,  unknown.  We  looked 
at  one  another  and  hesitated.  Should  we  go 
by  land  or  water? 

"  Water,"  so  Comrade  decided,  dim  re- 
membrances of  long  past,  vague  rapturings, 
of  friends  influencing  her  mind.  And  so  it 
fell  about  that  we,  taking  all  on  trust,  paid 
out  our  dollar  bills  in  exchange  for  tickets  in 
the  hitherto  scorned  band  of  those  who  travel 
"  personally  conducted."  But  unless  one  is 
rich  enough  to  charter  an  entire  yacht  there 
seems  no  other  way  to  see  the  Norwegian 
Fjords.  .  .  . 

The  wonder  of  Norway  has  swamped  all 

memory  of  the  reason  why  we  descended  upon 

'  The  Viking,"  but  I  remember  vaguely  that 

it  was  a  combination  of  convenience  of  dates 

and  economy  of  cash.     Under  "  Polytech- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      171 

nic  "  guidance  we  were  promised  most  for 
our  money. 

A  thirteen  day  "  Poly  "  cruise  can  be  had 
for  nine  guineas,  excursions  cost  £2.10  in  ad- 
dition. Then  the  fare  to  Grimbsy  must  be 
considered,  incidental  charges,  tips,  steamer 
chair  hire,  etc.  So  we  calculated,  with  knitted 
brows,  as  we  made  our  way  along  the 
crowded  London  streets  to  the  Polytechnic 
headquarters. 

Yes,  it  was  as  we  had  read,  except  for  the 
fact  that  all  the  nine  guinea  berths  were 
taken.  Some  had  been  booked  a  year  in  ad- 
vance ! 

We  compromised  the  matter  by  committing 
the  extravagance  of  selecting  the  best  cabin 
yet  unsold  upon  the  upper  deck,  and  almost 
danced  home  to  pack  with  the  tickets  in  our 
pockets.  We  sailed  in  three  days'  time. 

What  we  took  with  us  matters  little. 
What  we  should  have  taken  is  of  the  utter- 
most importance. 

It  sounds  rather  prosaic  to  say  "What 
shall  I  wear?"  the  moment  such  a  tour  is 


172      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

mooted,  but  after  all,  much  of  the  comfort 
of  the  cruise  depends  upon  one's  clothes. 

The  guide  books  say :  "  similar  clothing  to 
that  worn  in  England  is  all  that  is  necessary  " 
and  merely  add  "  a  mackintosh  is  advisable." 
How  maddeningly  indefinite!  Now  for  ex- 
actness and  truth. 

Take  with  you  a  complete  set  of  light 
weight  summer  clothing,  for  in  the  Nor- 
wegian valleys  the  heat  is  excessive,  but  take 
also  the  thickest  of  thick  things,  an  overcoat 
and  a  rug  that  will  defy  the  keenest  blast,  and 
a  mackintosh  of  such  quality  that  five  hours 
beneath  a  water  spout  will  not  affect  it. 
With  these  things,  a  stout  pair  of  boots, 
leggings,  or  waterproof  boots  to  the  knee, 
a  pair  of  dancing  slippers,  a  tarpaulin  hat, 
cap  that  will  not  blow  off,  straw  head  gear 
of  a  kind,  shady,  but  not  too  good,  an  um- 
brella and  an  alpine  stock,  you  will  be  thor- 
oughly comfortable  in  Norway. 

The  drives  are  cold,  the  walks  hot.  The 
valleys  are  sheltered,  the  mountain  passes 
exposed,  and  it  is  always  either  very  sunny, 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      173 

or  raining  precipitately.  A  Norwegian 
tour  is  not  one  upon  which  you  can  go  com- 
fortably, if  scantily  equipped. 

Above  all,  if  you  are  a  camera  fiend  you 
will  want  untold  dollars  worth  of  plates  or 
films. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

FIRST  GLIMPSES  OF  NORWEGIAN  WONDERS  — THE 
BUKEN  FJORD  — THE  BONDHUS  GLACIER  —  CLIFFS, 
MOUNTAINS  AND  LAKES — OUR  ANCHORAGE  AT  SUN- 
DAL — A  NORWEGIAN  FLOWER  DECKED  GLEN — THE 
FOGLEFOND — ONE  OF  THE  FINEST  SNOW  FlELDS  IN 
EUROPE — MERRY  GATHERINGS  ABOUT  THE  GYPSY  FIRE 
— WALKS  AND  SCRAMBLES. 

THE  North  Sea  has  rather  a  dread  reputa- 
tion and  it  must  be  crossed  ere  Norwegian 
shores  are  reached.  But  if  it  can  roar  like 
a  lion,  it  must  also  be  remembered  that  some 
times  these  Northern  waters  are  glass-like 
in  their  placidity.  Then  too,  the  hours  pass 
swiftly.  Leave  Grimbsy  at  night  and  two 
thirds  of  the  journey  will  be  spent  in  sleep. 
Whatsoever  may  have  to  be  endured  in  the 
brief  waking  hours  even  the  weakest  will  de- 
clare to  have  been  well  "  worth  while " 
when  Norway  is  sighted. 

As  for  more   fortunate  individuals  they 
rejoice  in  the  brine  in  the  air,  watch  for  a 
174 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      175 

porpoise  or  a  whale,  envy  the  flying  sea- 
gulls, explore  the  ship,  sound  the  depths  of 
their  fellow  passengers — and  listen  eagerly 
for  the  bugle  that  summons  all  to  meals! 

Then  comes  Norway!  First  a  dim  coast 
line  across  the  smooth  waters  of  the  Buken 
Fjord,  later,  as  the  river-like  waterways 
narrow,  the  mountains  take  shape  and  rise 
clear  from  the  morning  haze.  Some  are 
bare,  jagged,  ponderous  cliffs,  others  are 
mountains,  perpendicular  to  the  water's 
edge  and  blocked  with  foliage  of  varying 
shades,  here,  the  deepest,  darkest  green, 
there  a  vivid  patch  of  emerald,  broken  per- 
haps by  a  huge  boulder.  And  everywhere 
there  are  waterfalls.  Some  leaping  and 
spreading,  veritable  cascades,  white  with 
spray,  (like  the  magnificent  Furebergfos) 
others,  snake-like  in  their  sinuosity,  twisting, 
turning,  curving,  here  lost  to  view  down  a 
deep  cleft,  there  springing  from  a  great 
crag,  its  rain  swept  top,  gleaming  silvery  and 
worn  smooth  by  running  waters. 

For  the  most  part,  these  beautiful  moun- 


[176      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

tains  raising  their  crests  two  to  three  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  fjords,  are  given  over 
to  the  hardy  Norwegian  sheep  or  goats,  but 
tiny  "  hamlets  "  of  three  to  five  houses  oc- 
casionally cluster  on  habitable  ledges  within 
reach  of  the  waters. 

The  fjords  are  the  highways,  and  the  tini- 
est children  seem  capable  of  managing  a 
boat.  It  is  a  pretty  sight  to  see  three  or 
four  little  maidens,  ranging  in  age  from 
seven  to  ten  or  eleven,  clad  in  the  pictures- 
que Norwegian  costume,  rowing  happily  up 
some  sun-lit  fjord  to  pay  a  visit  or  go  to 
church. 

Higher  and  higher  seem  the  mountains  in 
their  veil  of  mist  and  cloud  as  the  Buken 
Fjord  gives  place  to  the  Mauranger,  and  the 
yacht  goes  steadily  on,  seagulls  swirling 
around  us,  vividly  white  against  a  back- 
ground of  mountain,  cliff  and  water. 

Sundal,  where  we  anchored,  proved  a 
larger  village  than  any  we  had  seen  yet.  It 
lies  on,  what  is,  for  Norway,  a  flat  stretch 
of  land  in  an  avalanche  racked  valley,  down 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      177 

which  rushes  a  torrent  of  troubled  waters. 
On  either  side  of  the  village  rise  the  moun- 
tains, beyond,  above  the  picturesque  gather- 
ing of  houses,  where  the  mountains  divide, 
rears  the  Bondhus  Glacier — a  white,  frozen 
avalanche  flung  out  in  bold  relief  by  the  en- 
circling hills.  So  weirdly  deceptive  is  the 
atmosphere  that  it  looks  some  half  mile  dis- 
tant while  it  is  in  truth,  more  than  ten  times 
as  far.  It  can  only  be  reached  after  a 
merry  combination  of  walk,  scramble,  climb 
and  finally  a  row  across  the  Bondhus  Lake, 
which  is  a  full  mile  and  a  half  long,  and  al- 
most unfathomably  deep. 

For  the  first  two  and  a  half  to  three  miles 
the  path  is  beside  a  wide  ravine,  down  which, 
shut  in  by  the  mountains,  flows  a  river 
leaping  through  mysterious  channels,  foam- 
ing, gurgling,  raging,  boiling,  laughing  and 
eddying  all  within  the  space  of  a  few  short 
yards.  The  rocks  above  the  waters  are 
veritably  cushioned  with  moss  and  lichen; 
they  are  soft  and  springy  to  the  touch. 
Amid  them,  near  the  tumbling,  roaring, 


178      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

rushing  waters,  grow  delicate  ferns,  shel- 
tered from  the  cold  winds  of  the  snow  fields, 
by  huge  boulders  which  must  have  been 
hurled  from  above  by  some  Titanic  force 
in  prehistoric  ages. 

It  gives  an  extraordinary  sense  of  peace 
among  violence  to  see  the  tall  pink  fox 
gloves  springing  up  from  a  rough,  nature- 
hewn,  moss  covered  rock,  fragile  blue  bells 
quivering  on  their  slender  stems  above  the 
swirling  waters,  and  everywhere  the  won- 
derful mosses — varying  shades  of  green, 
yellow,  brown  and  even  pink — till  each  dell 
looks  like  fairy  land,  planted  with  spraying, 
shimmering  ferns,  and  watered  by  a  thousand 
gurgling  rivulets.  Their  ripple  is  audible 
even  through  the  roar  of  the  waters  which 
hardly  ever  ceases  in  Norway. 

Then,  suddenly,  a  wide  flung  natural  bar- 
rier of  rock  curbs  the  torrent,  and,  with  dra- 
matic suddenness  the  restless  fever  and  tur- 
moil of  it  ceases.  We  emerge  from  the 
fairyland,  scramble  among  barren  crags,  eye 
and  hand  and  foot  in  league  to  find  safe  pas- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      179 

sage,  and  pause  beside  a  still  green  lake,  so 
smooth  and  so  aloof  from  the  foaming 
waters  beneath  that  the  effect  is  positively 
startling.  Across  it  gleams  the  Glacier  and 
above  this  stretches  again  the  long  white  arm 
of  the  Foglefond — one  of  the  finest  snow- 
fields  in  Europe,  a  40  by  9  mile  stretch  I 
Even  the  lightest  chatterers  fell  silent  and 
checked  their  incipient  flirtations  as  the 
rowers  plied  their  oars  and  we  looked  back 
towards  the  blue  haze  of  the  mountains  with 
the  grey-green  fjord  beyond,  then  forward 
to  the  Glacier,  weird  in  its  immovability, 
azure  in  the  depth  of  the  blueness  of  the 
great  crevices.  It  is  almost  as  if  a  tremend- 
ous, fantastic  light  glowed  beneath  the  great 
frozen  mass! 

It  was  as  though  a  mighty  river  had  leapt 
downward  from  the  impregnable  fastness 
of  the  mountains  to  be  caught  in  the  fierce 
grip  of  the  Great  Ice  King  and  so  stilled  into 
everlasting  silence. 

Then  came  the  gay  gathering  about  a 
gypsy  fire  to  drink  coffee  prepared  by  the 


180      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

advance  guard  of  white  capped  officials,  the 
pocketing  of  ginger-nuts  to  beguile  the 
homeward  route,  the  grouping  of  new  found 
friends,  and  the  glorious  walk  through  a 
rose  flecked  valley  to  a  merry  evening  of 
music  and  song,  and  a  tranquil  sail  to  a 
fresh  wonder  spot.  So  our  precious  days 
fled  by.  As  for  the  nights  they  do  not 
seem  to  count  in  Norway  and  were  it  not 
for  the  insistent  "  bells  "  one  might  well  for- 
get it  were  ever  more  than  six  o'clock. 
Comrade  and  I  took  snap  shots  till  midnight 
was  approaching! 


CHAPTER  XIX 

DOWN  THE  FJORDS— VIK— THE  HARDANGER— NORWE- 
GIAN RAVINES— AN  INTRODUCTION  TO  STOLLJAERRES— A 
ROAD  BLASTED  FROM  THE  LIVING  ROCK— SOMBRENESS 
OF  THE  SCENERY — OPPRESSIVE  SENSE  OF  TRAGEDY — THI 
MARVEL  OF  THE  VORINGFOS  WATERFALL,  WITH  ITS 
STUPENDOUS  LEAP. 

VIK  (pronounced  Vek)  is  on  the  Eidefjord 
and  offers  an  excellent  base  from  which  to 
start  on  one  of  the  best  of  all  the  wonderful 
excursions  in  Norway. 

In  itself  Vik  is  fascinating  on  account  of 
its  oddness  and  general  aloofness  from  the 
tourist  world.  It  is  just  a  tiny  collection  of 
farmhouses  with  a  shop  or  two  among  them, 
microscopic  "  general  stores "  providing 
for  the  moderate  wants  of  a  moderate 
people.  There  is  absolutely  no  catering  to 
the  whims  of  visitors  except  the  displaying 
of  a  few  dozen  picture  postcards  and  a 
scant  score  of  carved  wooden  articles  in  a 
181 


1 82      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

tiny  shed  perhaps  six  feet  square.  For  the 
rest  Vik  seems  unaware  of  its  attractions. 

The  people,  however,  are  friendliness  it- 
self and  open  wide  the  doors  of  their  houses. 
They  seem  willing  to  escort  you  into  their 
most  private  apartments  and  are  proud  to 
display  every  article  of  furniture  they 
possess,  from  the  baby's  exquisitely  carved 
cradle,  and  the  inevitable  spinning  wheel,  to 
the  pots  and  pans  in  which  the  dinner  is 
being  cooked.  Sometimes  the  furniture  is 
well  worth  inspection  and  the  escritoires  and 
bridal  chests  should  be  worth  a  considerable 
amount  could  they  be  transported  from 
these  immaculately  clean  little  farmhouses, 
(built  on  the  edge  of  inaccessible  cliffs  at  the 
head  of  winding  mysterious  fjords)  and  set 
down  in  a  fashionable  west-end  shop. 

The  route  to  Vik  is  intricate,  for  the 
Eidefjord  is  the  easternmost  branch  of 
the  Hardanger  Fjord  and  is  enclosed  by  pre- 
cipitous rocks.  One  icegirt  mountain 
towers  to  the  north  full  6,000  feet  high,  and 
down  its  jagged  side,  from  beneath'  its  snowy 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      183 

cap,  innumerable  waterfalls  run  and  leap; 
some  merely  murmur,  some  ripple  and 
laugh,  but  here  and  there  one  mighty  stream 
leaps  downward,  adding  its  roar  to  the 
softer  sounds — there  is  no  silence  in  Nor- 
way. 

After  an  hour  or  so  spent  in  exploration 
of  Vik  itself  and  a  short  walk  to  the  little 
white  church  which  stands  out  on  the  mora- 
ine separating  fjord  from  lake,  the  stoll- 
jaerres  will  have  come  in  from  every  nearby 
village  and  farm  and  stand  in  waiting  or- 
der, a  long  thin  line  disappearing  round  cliffs 
and  appearing  again  and  yet  again  on  the 
heights  forward,  stretching  out  like  an  at- 
tenuated caravan.  We  mount,  two  and 
two,  and  start  trotting  briskly  down  hill, 
walking  on  the  level  and  crawling  up  eleva- 
tions as  is  the  custom  with  Norwegian 
ponies.  The  way  is  through  a  ravine,  down 
which  races  a  wide  river  broken  again  and 
again  by  huge  boulders  among  which  the 
pent-up  waters  swirl  and  leap,  adding  to 
stress  of  their  battle  to  the  roar  of  water- 


184      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

falls.  Above,  tower  range  on  range  of 
mountains,  their  tops  now  revealed,  now 
hidden  by  drifting  clouds  and  mist  till  it  is 
hard  to  tell  where  the  sky  line  begins.  Be- 
neath us,  below  the  narrow  roadway,  irregu- 
larly fenced  with  small  rocks,  flows  the 
maelstrom  of  waters.  Here  and  there,  be- 
neath the  shelter  of  some  boulder,  an  in- 
secure looking  cage  is  built  out  into  the  tor- 
rent to  shelter  some  adventurous  fisher- 
man. The  grandeur  of  the  ensemble  is 
startling.  The  other  stolljaerres  are  merci- 
fully hidden  from  view,  there  is  nothing  to 
disturb  the  awe-inspiring  nature  of  the  scene 
when  the  roar  of  waters  is  suddenly  dimmed 
and  you  pass  through  a  tunnelled  passage  to 
emerge  upon  a  passive  lake,  from  the  sides 
of  which  bare,  precipitous,  snow  streaked 
mountains,  tower  upward  for  6,000  feet  and 
more.  The  storm  and  stress  are  gone  with 
the  moss  covered  rocks,  the  flower-carpeted 
dells  cleft  in  the  mountains — this  is  the 
"  silence  of  the  everlasting  hills." 

For  over  four  miles  the  road  is  cut  from 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      185 

the  living  rock,  and  nature  has  done  her  ut- 
most to  hide  the  work  of  the  hand  of  man. 
The  marks  of  the  drill,  are  waterspouts,  the 
blasted  rocks  are  fringed  with  fern,  even 
trees  spring  from  the  ledges,  but  they 
can  do  little  to  soften  the  gleaming  water- 
swept  perpendicular  cliffs. 

As  the  drive  continues  the  wildness  in- 
creases, till  the  sense  of  sombreness  and 
tragedy — the  vastness  of  it  all — is  weightily 
oppressive.  Even  the  lightest  most  thought- 
less chatterer  falls  silent  as  the  bot- 
tomless, tranquil  lake,  gives  place  to 
massed  rocks,  yet  more  swirling  torrents, 
Sand  higher  natural  barricades,  till  at  last  the 
toiling  ponies  stop  at  the  foot  of  a  dark 
gorge.  Up  this,  led  always  by  white  capped 
guides,we  pedestrians  plunge  and  scramble, 
drawn  onward  by  the  roar  of  the  Voringfos 
in  the  distance.  Louder  and  louder  it 
sounds — surely  it  must  be  yonder,  round 
that  lichen-coated  boulder  by  which  a  man  is 
creeping  finding  cautious  foothold  aided  by 
his  alpenstock.  The  point  is  gained,  the  roar 


1 86      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

is  louder  but  the  waterfall  is  not  yet  in  sight. 
And  so  the  narrow  track  continues  winding 
in  and  out,  now  up,  now  down.  Here  you 
jump  from  stone  to  stone,  there  creep  along 
the  slippery  trunk  of  a  tree  half  sunken  in 
the  morass,  here  you  climb,  helped  by  strong 
hands,  there  you  almost  run  against  your 
will — and  everywhere  there  is  water — over- 
head, underfeet,  booming  before  you,  rag- 
ing behind — and  then — at  last  the  stupend- 
ous Voringfos  leaping  downward  from  veiled 
heights  in  one  immense  spring  of  520  feetl 
Small  wonder  that  it's  roar  can  be  heard 
from  afar,  or  that  its  spray  rises  in  high  rain- 
bows from  the  seething  cauldron  of  mad- 
dened waters,  caught  in  a  narrow  basin,  and 
surrounded  on  three  sides  by  jagged  per- 
pendicular rocks. 

Anywhere  such  a  waterfall  would  be 
magnificant,  but  here,  at  the  head  of  the 
narrow,  scarce  negotiable  gorge,  crossed  by 
a  long,  slender,  swinging  suspension  bridge, 
over  which  but  one  can  pass  at  a  time,  the 
general  effect  is  increased  a  thousandfold 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      187 

and  few  could  stand  and  watch  it  without 
a  vivid  realisation  of  the  mighty  forces  of 
nature  and  the  puniness  of  man.  The  whole 
is  indescribable.  Go!  Go!  Everyone  go!  so 
say  Comrade  and  I. 


CHAPTER  XX 

A  NORWEGIAN  TOWN — BERGEN,  ONE  OF  THE  SURPRISES 
OF  NORWAY— ATTRACTION  OF  THE  SHOPS— WHAT  TO 
BUY— EMBROIDERY  FILIGREE  SILVER,  CARVINGS,  FURS, 
ETC. — WHAT  TO  SEE — THE  OPEN-AIR  FISH  MARKET, 
TOWER  AND  CHURCH — THEN  A  THOUSAND  FEET 
CLIMB  FOR  A  VIEW  INLAND  AND  OUTWARD  TO  THE 
NORTH  SEA — THE  INNER  LEAD — A  SAIL  BEYOND  DE- 
SCRIPTION. 

BERGEN  is  one  of  the  surprises  of  Norway. 
By  the  time  it  is  reached  the  dominant  im- 
pression of  the  traveller  is,  that  Norway  is 
a  land  of  tiny  villages  and  wonderful  scenery. 
It  therefore  seems  quite  uncanny,  to  awake 
(after  the  usual  night's  sail)  off  a  flourishing 
town  in  which  are  consulates,  post  and  tele- 
graph offices,  museums,  exhibitions,  banks, 
and  bandstands !  The  first  impulse  is  to  shop 
— it  is  so  strange  to  be  able  so  to  do !  The 
second  desire  is  to  climb  to  the, top  of  the 
hills  that  lie  behind  Bergen.  To  realise 
either  it  is  necessary  to  get  ashore,  which  is 
quickly  done  for  the  busy  motor  boats  are 
188 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      1189 

waiting,  but  once  there,  time  flies.  Boys  are 
running  about  on  the  quays  with  plans  of 
the  town  and  its  environs,  ready  made 
itineraries,  programmes  of  fascinating  "  spec- 
tacles," and  notices  of  "  Tourist  Bazars." 

The  town  is  built  on  a  rocky  crescent- 
shaped  peninsula  which  is  almost  an  island 
in  effect,  the  whole  is  flanked  by  a  range  of 
mountains  and  in  itself  is  a  curious  mixture 
of  the  ancient  and  modern.  It  is  modern  in 
the  width  of  the  busy  streets,  its  cleanliness 
and  activity;  the  fineness  of  its  main  build- 
ings, the  splendid  theatre  and  big  church;  in 
the  manner  in  which  it  caters  to  the  whims 
of  tourists  with  its  attractive  shop  displays 
of  filigree,  silver,  Hardanger  embroidery, 
carved  woods  and  photographs,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  cups,  spoons,  tankards,  Norweg- 
ian knives,  models  of  Viking  boats,  and 
lovely  furs  from  the  sub-polar  region,  bear 
skins,  fox,  silver,  red,  white  and  blue,  eider- 
down, seal,  otter  and  a  score  more  varieties 
rarely  seen  in  other  lands.  It  is  ancient  in 
the  oddity  of  its  open-air  fishmarket,  the 


190      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

Haakonshallen  (banqueting  hall  of  the 
King)  ;  Rosenkrantz  Tower;  remains  of 
mediaeval  castles;  and  the  old  Hanseatic 
quarter  down  by  the  German  Quay  which  is 
to-day  as  it  was  centuries  ago.  Other  at- 
tractions are  the  churches,  the  big  modern 
one  in  the  heart  of  Bergen  and  the  Stave- 
kirke  at  Fantoft  a  little  further  out,  a  tiny 
building  of  the  I2th  century  which  has  been 
brought  from  the  Sogne  district  and  here 
reconstructed  and  somehow  looks  as  if  it 
would  be  more  in  character  in  China. 

Suddenly,  shops  and  streets  and  hurrying 
people  become  oppressive  after  the  silence 
of  the  mountains  and  the  tranquil  beauty  of 
the  fjords.  Assuredly  the  1000  foot  climb 
to  the  F10fjeldet  must  be  undertaken  and 
Bergen  viewed  from  above.  By  the  magic  of 
the  word  "  F10ie  "  the  way  is  readily  found, 
and  we  start  up,  now  by  steps  and  now  by 
winding  track,  and  at  every  yard  stop  to  ex- 
claim that  here  is  the  place  for  a  photograph; 
nowhere  can  the  view  be  more  beautiful! 
Plates  and  films  dwindle  fast  and  the  "  best 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      191 

view  of  all,"  has  not  been  taken,  for  it  Is 
higher  and  yet  higher.  At  last,  at  the  so- 
called  top,  a  little  restaurant  is  reached,  and 
here  all  save  the  most  energetic  stop  to  de- 
mand lemonade,  ginger  ale  or  lager  beer, 
anything  and  everything  to  check  the  thirst 
produced  by  the  mountain  climb  in  the  clear 
Norwegian  air  and  bright  sunlight.  What 
a  restaurant  it  is  too,  with  its  skin-hung, 
flag-decked  walls  and  spacious  vaulted  roof, 
with  pretty  Norse  girls  in  the  national  cos- 
tume running  hither  and  thither  to  attend  to 
the  customers,  and  posing  to  be  photographed 
by  those  of  the  camera  band  who  are  pos- 
sessed of  sufficient  audacity  to  ask  the  fav- 
our— and  have  sufficient  plates  left  after 
photographing  the  magnificent  panoramic 
view  of  Bergen,  where  fjord  beyond  fjord 
stretches  away  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  until  checked  by  the  faint  blue  line  of 
the  distant  North  Sea.  Towards  the  moun- 
tains, a  veritable  chain  of  lakes  can  be  seen 
each  on  a  perceptibly  higher  level  than  the 
last  and  of  a  different  tone. 


192       How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

But  even  after  this,  the  glory  of  the  Ber- 
gen part  of  the  tour  is  not  yet  over,  for  the 
sail  down  the  Hardanger  Fjord  and  through 
the  Inner  Lead,  is  yet  to  come.  The  range 
of  mountains  on  either  side  of  the  Hardanger 
rise  to  3,000  and  4,000  feet,  and  on  the 
plateaux  above  them  the  immense  Foglefond 
can  be  seen,  glittering  in  the  sunlight,  and 
flinging  long  white  arms  down  into  the  cleft 
valleys.  In  these  nestle  tiny  houses  beneath 
earthen  barricades,  erected  in  the  belief  that 
when  an  avalanche  descended  it  would  strike 
the  barricades  and  lean  over  them,  across 
the  roofs.  Occasionally  they  do,  but  more 
often  the  small  houses  are  engulfed  and 
and  buried  beneath  the  debris. 

Sometimes  the  fjord  stretches  two  good 
miles  across,  sometimes  the  frowning  barren 
cliffs  are  scarce  two  hundred  yards  apart, 
but  gradually  they  give  place  to  lower,  tree 
covered,  slopes,  and  then  to  a  fringe  of  little 
islets  sheltering  the  waters  of  the  Inner  Lead 
from  the  turbulent  waves  of  the  Northern 
Ocean.  Here  and  there  a  light  gleams  out 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      193 

from  some  small  isolated  lighthouse,  and 
points  the  way  down  one  of  the  innumerable 
fjords  that  open  out  on  every  side,  like  roads 
from  a  highway,  or  wander  in  intricate 
turns  between  high  ranges  of  mountains 
topped  by  clouds,  among  which  play  many 
hued  rainbows. 

The  only  sign  of  life  is  given  by  the  sud- 
den flights  of  sea-gulls  that  swoop  silently 
out  from  the  shadow  of  some  green  or 
purple  isle,  giving  an  added  touch  to  the 
marvellous  scene  where  the  full  beauty  of 
the  world  seems  revealed,  while  the  pain 
and  cruelty  of  life  is  for  the  moment 
veiled — It  is  all  primitive,  natural,  untouched 
by  man,  uninhabited  by  human  beings  with 
their  weighty  burden  of  sorrow  and  pain. 
The  waters  seem  without  motion,  now  they 
are  green,  now  gold  in  the  changing  light; 
now  silver  with  rose  flecked  rocks  reflected 
from  the  sky  above.  One  side  of  the  yacht 
is  in  sunlight,  the  other  in  the  radiance  of 
the  moon,  for  it  is  close  on  midnight.  .  .  . 


CHAPTER  XXI 

SCENES  ON  THE  WAY— NATIONAL  COSTUMES  OF  THE 
GIRLS — A  DRIVE  ALONG  THE  MARGIN  OF  THE  SANDVEN 
LAKE — THE  TWIN  WATERFALLS  OF  THE  LOTEFOS  AND 
SKAARSFOS — AALSUND  DUTCH-LIKE  AND  MODERN— 
MOLDE— A  NORWEGIAN  HEALTH  RESORT. 

CONSIDERING  how  very  much  alike  all  Nor- 
way is,  in  the  widest  sense  of  the  word,  the 
amount  of  variety  given  on  the  various  tours 
is  surprising. 

The  whole  country  seems  to  have  been 
explored  by  those  with  eyes  to  see,  and  ex- 
cursions arranged  in  such  order  that  the 
maximum  of  effect  is  produced.  To  those 
who  have  not  been,  each  fjord  town  may 
sound  much  like  another;  every  climb  up 
the  encircling  alps  differs  little  from  that  pre- 
vious to  it,  but  to  those  who  have  been,  each 
stands  out  a  thing  apart.  Take  the  day 
spent  in  the  Voringfos  district,  for  instance, 
where  the  sombre  impressiveness  of  the 
194 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      195 

scenery  is  such  that  it  makes  you  feel  as 
though  the  glamour  had  been  ruthlessly  torn 
from  life  leaving  the  underlying  intolerable 
tragedy  of  reality  exposed.  Then,  in 
sharp  vivid  contrast  comes  the  almost  divine 
beauty  of  the  Inner  Lead,  followed  by  a 
morning  in  a  smiling,  fertile  valley,  where 
surely  naught  but  the  happiest  and  most 
peaceful  of  lives  can  be  led!  From  Odda 
the  winding  road  runs  beside  a  chain  of  lakes 
each  divided  from  the  other  by  natural 
barricades  of  rocks  over  which  the  waters 
gurgle  and  laugh.  Homesteads  nestle  where 
they  can,  here  in  groups  forming  a  village, 
there  alone,  perhaps  on  a  tiny  green  island 
amid  a  lake  or  fast  flowing  river.  And 
everywhere  there  are  flowers.  They  grow 
even  on  the  roofs  of  the  farmhouses,  spring- 
ing up  beneath  the  shelter  of  delicate  birch 
trees,  which  occasionally  find  nourishment 
in  the  sodded  turf  above  the  door,  while 
mountain  geraniums,  violets,  pansies  and  the 
swaying  foxglove  and  meadowsweet,  flourish 
between  velvet-cushioned,  fern-fringed  rocks, 


196      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

Tiny  wild  strawberries  shelter  themselves 
beneath  huge  boulders  and  ripen  in  generous 
profusion. 

The  general  effect  of  the  whole  wonderful 
picture  is  heightened  when  here  and  there, 
amid  the  green  of  birch  and  pine,  there 
gleam  the  scarlet  bodies  of  fair  Norse 
girls  in  national  dress,  and  their  clear  voices 
call  to  one  another  as  they  toss  .the  hay  upon 
"  horses  "  where  it  Is  left  to  dry  looking  like 
a  grass  fence.  It  is  curious  to  see  these 
fences  standing  in  straight  rows  across 
some  boulder-strewn,  precipitous,  hill-side, 
or  on  an  island  hardly  big  enough  to 
afford  foothold  to  a  fair-sized  picnic 
party;  for  no  fertile  space  is  neglected 
in  Norway  though  the  majority  of  farmers 
seem  to  bring  the  reaped  grass  to  the  main- 
land to  dry.  It  is  pretty  to  see  it  being 
tossed  upon  an  old  Norse  boat  when 
gathered  from  a  tiny  islet  above  some  rapids. 

In  the  short  Northern  summer  the  val- 
leys are  very  warm,  but  even  on  the  hottest 
days  perpetual  puffs  of  fresh,  pure,  snow- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING       197 

fragrant  air  are  caught  from  the  clefts  in  the 
sheltering  mountains,  where,  beneath  the  icy 
barrier  of  some  glacier,  a  group  of  small 
houses  can  be  seen. 

Such  is  the  drive  from  Odda  along  the 
margin  of  the  Sandven  Lake  across  which 
gleams  the  white  Buarbrae  Glacier,  another 
of  the  wide  flung  arms  of  the  mighty  Foglc- 
fond  which  tops  the  mountain  range.  Ten 
miles  from  the  landing  stage  the  spray- 
drenched  bridge  is  reached  that  crosses  the 
mingled  waters  of  the  Lotefos  and  Skaarsfos, 
twin  waterfalls,  which,  starting  as  one,  arc 
divided  in  the  middle  of  their  downward 
course  by  a  huge  nose-like  boulder,  and  meet 
at  the  bottom  in  a  veritable  whirlpool  of 
water  and  foam.  Across  the  narrow  valley 
leaps  yet  another  waterfall,  the  joyous 
Espelanfos,  its  origin  hidden  in  the  clouds. 

Then  after  this  morning  of  romance  come 
Aalsund  and  Molde  in  quick  succession,  and 
they  again  are  contrasts. 

Aalsund  is  one  of  the  towns  which  seem 
out  of  place  in  Norway.  But  this  is  owing 


198      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

to  the  fact  that  it  was  totally  destroyed  by 
fire  some  five  years  ago  and  has  been  rebuilt 
in  brick  and  stone  under  Government  super- 
vision. The  result  is,  that  it  is  Dutch-like 
in  its  practicability,  besides  being  painfully 
modern.  However,  it  affords  scope  for 
shopping  to  those  not  afforded  sufficient 
opportunity  in  the  flying  hours  spent  in 
Bergen.  For  others,  there  is  the  view  from 
Aalsundsaxla  some  600  feet  up  it  is  almost 
the  most  magnificent  of  the  varied  pan- 
oramas obtainable  anywhere.  Aalsund  is 
the  commercial  centre  of  this  fishing-bank 
region,  and  lies  at  the  mouth  of  a  fjord  on 
the  edge  of  the  North  Sea,  more  open 
than  any  other  fjord  town  on  the  west  coast. 
Looking  from  the  hills  above  it,  one  sees 
innumerable  waterways  down  which  ply  busy 
little  boats,  sheltered  from  the  sea  by  moun- 
tain ranges  and  chains  of  islands.  Gazing 
straight  ahead,  instead  of  to  right  and  left 
and  inland,  there  is  the  sea  in  its  blue-grey 
turbulence;  the  radiant  sun  makes  all  aglit- 
ter  and  flings  out  in  bold  relief  the  cleft  sides 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      199 

and  sharp-cut  fissures  in  every  green  hill  and 
purple  mountain. 

After  Aalsund,  and  a  glorious  sail,  comes 
Molde,  and  here  again  is  contrast.  The  sense 
of  rush  and  push  is  gone  for  Molde  is  a 
health  resort  to  which  few  but  rich  Nor- 
wegians wend  their  way.  Curiously 
enough,  though  the  little  place  lies  three  de- 
grees north  of  St.  Petersburg,  one  of  its 
most  striking  characteristics  in  the  luxuriant 
growth  about  it.  It  is  spoken  of  as  "  The 
City  of  Roses  "  and  they  are  everywhere,  on 
the  walls,  in  the  gardens,  climbing  up  trees 
and  around  the  windows  of  the  pretty  villas. 
Molde  offers  no  sign  of  the  storm  and  stress 
of  life  as  fought  with  the  elements.  The 
houses  are  peaceful  happy  homes  clustering 
about  a  wooden  cathedral  which  is  a  picture 
in  itself;  its  dark  red  wooden  walls  and  spire 
outlined  against  its  background  of  tranquil 
hills.  Again  there  are  heights  to  climb,  rose 
tinted  water  and  chains  of  islets  to  attract  the 
eye — and  a  tiny  silver  lake  lying  inland  amid 
heather  covered  hills,  a  rippling  brook  gur- 


200      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

gling  through  natural  woods,  and  white  fluff 
dropping  from  the  straight,  tall,  cotton  trees 
to  be  caught  up  by  sleepy  birds  flying  nest- 
wards. 

The  impression  of  ruthlessness  and  tor- 
ture given  by  the  wild,  stupendous  heights 
and  barren  cliffs  is  gone.  How  wild  imagin- 
ings are!  Here  all  is  tranquil — -Nature 
rests  and  smiles!  To-night  we  can  join  the 
dancers  in  the  salon  down  below. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  VILLAGE  OF  NAES — THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  WITCHES 
AND  THE  ROMSDALHORN  —  DOWN  THE  WONDERFUL 
GEIRANGER  FJORD. 

THE  impression  of  smiling  nature  gathered 
at  Molde  is  well  sustained  when  Naes  is 
reached,  its  narrow,  nose-Ike  promontory 
runs  far  out  into  the  still  Romsdal  Fjord  in 
a  most  picturesque  and  effective  manner. 

First,  for  the  sake  of  contrast,  should  come 
the  exploration  of  the  microscopic  collection 
of  houses  and  the  couple  of  shops  which  com- 
pose the  village.  Then  a  climb  up  the  steep 
cliffs  to  gather  wild  strawberries,  ferns  and 
orchids;  then  a  walk  along  the  side  of  the 
fjord,  through  fields  of  high,  waving, 
meadow-sweet,  blue  bells,  butter  cups,  laven- 
der scabius  and  high  up-standing,  star-like 
daisies,  till  the  flying  hours  send  us  back  to 
find  stolljaerres  and  start  on  the  leisurely 
drive  through  the  valley  of  the  Ravma.  We 

201 


202      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

pass  the  towering  Troldtinder — ("Witch 
Pinnacles"),  raising  their  peaks  6,000  feet 
and  more,  the  Mjoilnir,  known  as  "  the  steep- 
est mountain  in  Europe,  and  see  the  sharp 
outline  of  the  Romsdalhorn  reflected  in  the 
pent  waters  of  the  Rauma  before  it  again 
rushes  on  its  way  through  groves  of  birch, 
pine  and  ash,  past  tiny  villages.  And  so  we 
go  onward  to  the  posting  station  of  Horg- 
heim. 

This  little  place  consists  solely  of  a  small 
inn-like  house  with  its  tables  apparently  per- 
petually spread  with  the  usual  Norwegian 
edibles,  smoked  beef  and  jerked  reindeer 
sandwiches,  biscuits,  cheese  in  enormous 
variety,  and  hot  coffee.  It  is  built  close  be- 
neath a  towering  mountain  range,  and  water- 
falls seem  almost  to  play  upon  its  roof! 
Before  it,  is  a  broad  stretch  of  the  Rauma, 
hidden  from  immediate  view  by  fields  of 
waving  grain  and  a  ridge  of  drooping  wil- 
lows. In  the  immediate  vicinity,  too,  there 
is  a  curious  snow  grotto — a  low  lying  patch 
of  whiteness  hollowed  underneath  as  much 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      203 

by  the  action  of  the  serpent-like  waterfall 
playing  on  it  from  the  heights  above,  as  by 
its  own  latent  warmth. 

Again,  as  we  drive  along  the  curving  road, 
the  clouds  dip  down  into  the  valley,  now  con- 
cealing, now  suddenly  lifting  to  display  the 
high,  weird  outlines.  Sometimes  the  sun 
strikes  on  the  jagged  cliffs  above  the  clouds, 
sometimes  a  laden  mass  of  storm-laden 
cloud  obscures  all ;  but  in  the  low  lying  valley 
itself  there  is  peace  and  fertility,  and,  for 
Norway,  abundance. 

Perhaps  because  of  this,  and  because  the 
dominant  note  of  the  scenery  is  park-like, 
Naes,  even  taking  into  account  the  grand  sur- 
rounding valleys,  does  not  seem  typically 
Norwegian.  The  short  stoppage  here  is  an  in- 
terlude, the  real  Norwegian  tour  continues 
when  once  again  the  yacht  is  under  way  and 
drifitng  slowly  down  the  marvellous  Geir- 
anger.  Now  it  is  narrow,  now  wide,  now 
with  innumerable  openings  on  every  side, 
each  showing  fresh  vistas  of  loveliness,  each 
offering  the  allurement  of  the  Unknown — 


204      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

now  a  straight  way,  mountains  behind,  moun- 
tains before.  The  turns  are  so  abrupt  that 
it  seems  incredible  that  a  boat  should  be 
able  to  pass  through  the  mazings.  That 
mountain  behind  is  just  on  the  stern,  tre- 
mendous in.  its  close  proximity  I  Yet  surely 
another  five  minutes  will  bring  a  mighty 
crash — we  must  collide  with  that  ahead! 

The  horn  sounds  and  marvellous  echoes 
are  flung  back  from  range  after  range,  it  is 
almost  as  though  we  were  tooting  for  the 
mountains  to  recede !  So  close  are  they,  and 
so  intricate  the  way,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
tell  whence  we  came  or  whither  we  are 
going.  But  the  tortuous  channels  widen 
as  we  brave  them,  and  when  we  steam 
straight  at  a  mountain,  and  it  towers  above, 
weirdly  overshadowing  in  the  mist,  -its  snow- 
flecked  sides  and  icy  cap  looking  rose  and 
lavender  in  the  late  sunlight,  it  breaks  away 
suddenly,  and  we  pass  through  almost  meet- 
ing portals. 

Again,  as  on  the  Inner  Lead,  white  sea- 
gulls swoop  out  from  the  fastnesses,  and  the 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      205 

few  occupants  of  tiny  villages  and  solitary 
light-houses  (in  lonely  aloofness  from  the 
world),  wave  greetings  to  us  as  we  pass 
slowly  onward,  seeking  yet  more  wonders. 

It  is  the  awe-inspiring  silence  that  adds  to 
the  impressiveness  of  such  a  scene.  On  this 
marvellous  Geiranger,  for  instance,  the  only 
sound  is  the  occasional  dull  roar  of  a  water- 
fall as  it  goes  leaping  downward  to  join  the 
tranquil  waters  of  the  clear  fjord.  Of 
these,  one  at  least  will  surely  live  forever  in 
the  memory,  though  more  for  its  setting  than 
for  its  individual  beauty.  This  is  the  Seven 
Sisters, — a  silver-grey  veil  of  gleaming  waters 
on  a  sharp,  outline  of  high  cliff — a  vision 
caught  as  a  sudden  sharp  turn  is  made,  and 
waterfall  and  fjord  meet  in  a  long  perpen- 
dicular line. 

And  then,  as  a  climax  to  the  wonderful  day 
comes  Merok  lying  straight  before  us  at  the 
head  of  the  mountain  encircled  fjord.  It  is 
as  though  it  faced  upon  a  lake.  The  centre- 
piece of  the  village  is  of  course  a  water- 
fall and  it  gurgles  from  afar,  leaping 


206      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

downward  in  foaming  white  cascades, 
gathering  energy  as  it  goes  its  full  5,000  feet 
till  its  turbulent  stream  rushes  out  in  vain 
endeavour  to  ruffle  the  imperturbable  waters 
of  the  Geiranger.  It  almost  deadens  the 
voices  of  the  singers  in  the  little  white  oc- 
tagon church,  on  its  tiny  level  plateau. 
Around  this  clusters  the  village  with  its  back- 
ground of  foaming  fall,  tree-clad  slopes  and 
snow-flecked  mountains,  their  fissured  sides 
racked  by  watercourses.  The  incredibly 
still  fjord  with  its  unfathomable  depths  girt 
by  snow-capped  mountain  ranges,  mirrors 
the  whole. 


CHAPTER  XXIII  • 

FROM  OIE  TO  HAUGEN— ON  BY  YACHT  TO  TOSSE— THENCE 
BY  STOLLJAERRE  —  OVERLAND  TO  NORHEIMSUND,  THE 
LONGEST  AND  MOST  UNFORGETTABLE  DRIVE  OF  ALL — A 
LAST  VIEW  OF  THE  WONDERLAND  OF  NORWAY — MEMO- 
RANDUM OF  ACCOUNTS  FOR  ENTIRE  CRUISE. 

THERE  is  little  in  Oie  to  forewarn  the  travel- 
ler that  the  drive  to  Haugen  will  be  in  any 
way  different  from  those  taken  on  the  pre- 
vious days. 

Oie  is  a  village,  smaller,  if  possible,  than 
the  average  Norwegian  village.  It  lies  in  a 
green  valley,  backed  by  towering  mountains 
with  a  snowfield  spreading  over  the  plateau 
above  them.  Before  it,  as  before  Merok, 
lies  a  land-locked  fjord,  the  narrow  way  ap- 
parently blocked  by  jagged  cliffs.  From  the 
surrounding  heights  waterfalls  thunder  and 
roar,  but  whence  they  come  it  is  difficult  to 
see,  so  dense  are  the  veiling  clouds. 

As  usual,  stolljaerres  are  waiting  in  long 
207 


How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

caravan-like  rows,  word  of  our  arrival  hav- 
ing spread  swiftly.  We  mount,  two  by  two, 
as  is  the  Norwegian  custom,  and  join  in  the 
cavalcade  as  it  goes  wending  its  way,  now 
on  this  side  of  the  water,  now  on  that,  on 
and  on  in  an  interminable  line;  though,  so 
twisting  is  the  road,  only  two  or  three  stoll- 
jacrres  remain  in  sight  at  a  time,  and  occas- 
ionally one  seems  solitary  amid  the  moun- 
tains. Then,  suddenly  the  whole  character 
of  the  scene  changes,  tree  covered  hills  and 
snow-capped  mountains  are  left  behind,  flow- 
ing, leaping  cascades  are  forgotten,  ferns, 
flowers,  mosses,  the  thousand  softenings 
flung  over  crudities  by  the  changing  seasons, 
are  gone,  and  we  are  amid  bare  Nature 
bereft  of  ornament,  her  naked  violence 
boldly  exposed.  Here,  so  short  a  time  ago 
as  1908,  stood  a  Norwegian  village  in  a 
fertile  valley,  turf  and  flower  roofed  houses, 
hay-hung  fences,  fronting  on  a  winding  road- 
way along  which  children  ran  laughing  be- 
side the  cavalcade  of  tourists  who  throng  to 
this  wonderland  of  rivers,  mountains,  gla- 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      209 

ciers,  sun  and  cloud.  To-day  the  erstwhile 
fruitful  valley  is  a  lake  into  which  the  wind- 
ing road  disappears  abruptly,  its  whiteness 
showing  beneath  the  chill  waters.  The 
flower-decked  roofs  of  the  homes  alone  are 
visible,  the  rest  are  completely  submerged  in 
the  lake,  which  was  formed  in  three  May 
days. 

Norway  is  noted  for  the  appalling  sud- 
denness with  which  such  disasters  occur. 
Traces  of  the  ruin  wrought  by  avalanches  are 
visible  in  many  places,  but  here,  the  devasta- 
tion is  seen  before  a  beautifying  hand  has 
covered  the  rawness.  The  force  of  the 
avalanche  can  best  be  realised  as  one  looks 
across  the  valley  and  sees  the  tremendous 
natural  barricade  of  far-flung,  high-piled 
rocks  and  boulders,  which  stretches  from  side 
to  side.  To  the  right,  a  narrow  space  has 
been  cleared  and  a  new  patch  of  roadway 
built  to  join  what  is  left  of  the  old.  The 
tiny  stolljaerres  look  like  flies  as  they  climb 
among  the  Titanic  debris. 

The  hurled  rocks  lie  massed  high  up  the 


210      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

split  mountain  side  and  along  the  ridge  of  the 
gulley,  and  all  looks  barren  until  a  sudden 
turn  reveals  luxuriant  nature  again,  when  it 
seems  almost  impossible  that  ruin  can  exist 
in  such  close  juxtaposition  to  plenty.  Even 
on  the  return  journey  the  same  sense  of  un- 
reality, and  strange  contrast  exists  when 
comes  the  sudden  turn,  and  the  result  of  the 
tremendous  upheaval  is  once  more  plain  to 
the  eye.  The  scene  leaves  its  indelible  im- 
pression. Having  seen  it,  it  is  impossible  not 
to  wonder  what  the  rounding  of  the  next  pro- 
jecting boulder  may  bring  into  view;  while 
the  sudden  roar  of  a  sliding  avalanche  some- 
where among  the  snowfields  causes  a  tense 
pause  and  an  instinctive  sense  of  disaster. 
Somewhere,  amid  the  heights  is  yet  another 
peaceful  village  being  engulfed? 

Haugen  itself  is  insignificant,  being  merely 
a  small  refreshment  house,  but  for  those 
sufficiently  energetic  to  attempt  the  climb  to 
the  snowfield  above  it,  there  is  any  amount 
to  do  in  the  scanty  time  afforded,  for  dis- 
tance is  always  deceptive  in  Norway  and 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      211 

close  as  the  snow  line  looks,  to  reach  it  means 
an  hour's  struggle. 

Setting  aside  the  goal,  the  ascent  is  well 
worth  while.  Every  yard  brings  a  new 
panorama  into  view  and  the  main  grief  is 
that  every  available  make  of  camera  is  not 
at  hand  at  once,  so  many  kinds  and  sizes, 
speeds  and  shapes  seem  required  to  enable 
the  camera-fiends  to  take  home  all  the  much 
desired  views. 

Then,  when  the  eternal  snows  are  reached, 
there  is  yet  another  point  to  be  gained,  for 
who  that  has  climbed  so  far  is  content  but  to 
gather  the  snow  anemones  that  nestle  among 
the  whiteness,  beautiful  though  they  be? 
There  is  a  summit  above,  and  the  desire  of 
youth  to  go  higher,  and  see  more,  is  still 
strong.  At  last  the  heights  are  gained,  just 
as  the  tardy  sun  dips  behind  the  mountains; 
he  dyes  the  waters  of  the  cup-like  lake  which 
nestles  in  white  solitariness  amid  the  snow 
covered  encrusted  slopes. 

And  then  comes  Tosse,  the  last  port  of 


212      How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

call.  Tosse,  and  the  magnificent  drive  across 
the  mountains,  through  the  Tokajel  and  over 
the  high  pass  of  Kvamshaug  to  Norheim- 
sund  to  rejoin  the  yacht  which  thence  must 
sail  for  home. 

Certainly  satiety  is  not  yet.  Or  is  it  that 
even  the  most  jaded  can  be  stirred  again? 
Despite  what  we  have  seen  the  long  drive 
from  Tosse  to  Norheimsund  seems,  for  sheer 
grandeur,  to  be  the  most  marvellous  and  ex- 
citing of  the  many  we  have  had  in  Norway. 

It  is  one  of  the  few  where  we  are  high  on 
the  mountains,  the  depths  beneath  us  being 
greater  than  the  heights  above:  first  comes 
a  serpentine,  curving  roadway,  up  a  nar- 
row gorge  steadily  ascending  for  eight  miles. 
Part  of  the  way  it  is  but  a  widened  ledge  of 
a  precipice,  part  is  tunnelled  through  the 
living  rock.  Sometimes  the  turns  are  so 
sharp  that  it  has  been  found  necessary  to 
blast  window-like  apertures  to  give  light. 
Sometimes  the  edge  of  the  narrow  roadway, 
as  well  as  being  outlined  by  boulders,  in  the 
usual  Norwegian  way,  is  girded  by  iron  rails 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      213 

which  bind  these  rocks  together,  and  from 
the  stolljaerres  it  is  possible  to  look  sheer 
down  the  perpendicular  side  of  the  gigantic 
cliff  to  the  dark  gorge,  at  the  bottom  of  which 
flows  one  of  the  perpetual  streams  of  Nor- 
way. Lake  and  river  and  waterfall  succeed 
each  other  as  we  climb  yet  higher.  Some- 
times the  view  beneath  is  blocked  by  clouds, 
and  the  heights  above  are  completely  con- , 
cealed.  Sometimes  the  weird  mists  lift  to 
disclose  a  silver  lake  gleaming  far  below  us 
amid  rain-swept  mountains.  The  roar  of 
a  great  waterfall  thunders  above  the  noise 
of  the  hoofs  of  the  horses  as  they  trot 
across  the  bridges  spanning  the  dark  ravine. 
The  sound  increases  in  volume  as  we 
near  the  end  of  the  wondrous  drive  and 
suddenly  the  Ofsthusfos  comes  into  view, 
a  rising  column  of  thick,  soft  white 
spray  mingling  with  its  waters.  It  springs 
so  far  out  from  the  cleft  mountain  side  that 
it  is  possible  to  walk  behind  the  tremendous 
downpour. 

The   Ofsthusfos    is   our  last   Norwegian 


How  TO  VISIT  EUROPE 

waterfall.  A  couple  of  miles  further  on  lies 
Norheimsund  amid  charming  pastoral  scen- 
ery in  curiously  sudden  contrast  to  the  majes- 
tic, rugged,  ravine,  and  mountain  pass,  which 
have  made  the  day's  journeying;  and  there, 
on  the  smooth  blue  waters  of  the  fjord  lies 
the  yacht.  .  .  The  Norwegian  tour  is  ended. 
Behind  us  are  the  mountains  and  the  snow- 
fields,  before  us  stretch  the  grey  blue  waters 
of  the  North  Sea.  Close  around  us  the  mists 
and  driving  rain  blot  out  the  glittering  peaks 
of  the  Foglefond,  the  Fjord  and  the  circling 
gulls.  .  .  . 

Norway  has  gone  as  if  it  had  been  a  mere 
dreamland  of  wonders. 

Yes,  we  are  homeward  bound,  en  route 
to  our  own  far  country,  the  stronger  and  the 
wiser  for  our  journeyings,  in  foreign  lands. 
The  world  is  so  much  more  vast  than  we  had 
known ! 

There  have  been  strenuous  days  on  moun- 
tains and  in  valleys,  in  sunlight,  rain  and 
snow.  Merry  nights  of  dancing  and  of  song, 


ON  NEXT  TO  NOTHING      215 

to  an  accompaniment  of  rippling  waters. 
Friendships  have  been  begun — more  than 
friendships  for  some  of  us!  And  through 
all  we  have  been  guarded,  thought  for  and 
cared  for,  by  a  body  of  stalwart,  white-capped 
men.  In  fair  weather  and  foul  weather,  they 
have  smiled  and  laughed,  making  difficult 
ways  easier  by  quick  outstretched  hands,  and 
merry  joke,  though  oftentimes  they  must 
have  been  aweary,  and  the  burden  of  our 
lives  and  limbs  was  theirs.  Such  respon- 
sibility must  be  heavy,  indeed,  in  the  land 
of  the  Norsemen ! 

And  the  cost  of  it  all? 

MEMORANDUM  OF  EXPENSE. 


Cruise  by  S.  S.  Viking,  thirteen  days $47-25 

Special  cabin  fee 15.75 

Railway  fare  and  incidentals  such  as  tips,  chair 

hire,  etc 7.00 

Excursions  12.50 

$82.50 
In  hand •  •     I7-5O 


X 


14  DAY  USF 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


i 


*>*«m   |   rn 


FEB  20  1963 


Jflfri  1  9'g5-8  Pto 


TA 


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